January 21, 2002

Yeah, I know … I was supposed to do some software releases … What can I say? I got busy with various things over the weekend – movies, TV, games … that sorta thing :p – and really didn’t have any time for coding or for doing the docs. Actually, documentation and packaging is all that remains and I will hopefully get at least one app out today, though it might not be Blog since I’ve decided to release BOB 1.2 as well and since it was done first, I probably should release it first – plus, there’s less work involved in the BOB release since there isn’t any data conversion to worry about (it is built-in whereas there is a slight problem with Blog’s built-in data conversion …) or having to do two distros (full and upgrade). Anyway, I hope to get to all of that sometime today …

I’m in a really lazy mood today plus I’m in another one of my moods at the sheer stupidity and orneriness of people :p There is another brouhaha going on in a project I used to be involved with where a guy wants to take (or is it borrow? <vbg>) some of the code from the project (with the consent of those involved of course …) and then release his work under a different open license than the GPL, under which the original code was released. This has brought forward so many arm-chair lawyers and nay sayers who seem to think this is a sacrilege! The guy is breaking the GPL!! Oh come on people, grow up! There are so many people out there who take GPL’ed code, use it in their apps and release it as closed source. Some even make money out of it! Does anybody care? Of course not because nobody knows about these instances! But let a guy come forward honestly, say that he’s using some code and will release that same code under a different open license due to certain limitations in the GPL and everybody jumps on his back! Where the heck is the logic in that? Of course, I know I’ll get the people saying that laws are meant to be followed and that if everybody took my stance there would be no open source movement. But remember also that laws are made by humans and as humans we can also decide (in concensus of course – not individually …) when it might be sensible to make exceptions instead of being tight-assed and saying “It’s the law!” If somebody wants to take open sourced code and release it again as open source, why cry about it? Do we have to be such a nitpicking, small-minded bunch of idiots? Guess we do … ah, when will humanity change?

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Posted by Fahim at 9:34 am  |  No Comments