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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
byimpaledsunset ( 1337701 ) writes:
That's why I use real free and open source licenses, non abominations like the GPL. Making your software "free" and then fighting people using it with legal pressure, eh?
I put everything in the public domain, and I sleep well at night without having nightmares that someone might have violated my license.
byL4t3r4lu5 ( 1216702 ) writes:
Ever consider that the latest and greatest feature in the latest and greatest, multi-million unit shipping product may be using code you developed?
Ever wanted to maybe boost your pay by jumping to a new company, based on that?
Tough shit. They don't have to say you had anything to do with it. They can just collect the bounty and laugh all the way to the bank. They might have a toast in your name for being a baffoon. Hell, they can even say they developed it themselves, as long as they can read what you've
bydangitman ( 862676 ) writes:
Hell, they can even say they developed it themselves, as long as they can read what you've coded.
Not true, actually. That would be plagiarism, which is entirely different to using someone else's code. It's the difference between quoting someone in a paper you wrote, and claiming that you were the originator of the quote. It falls under the "Moral Rights" clauses of copyright law, and beyond that under almost any ethics system and human decency.
byWNight ( 23683 ) writes:
But if the source isn't visible they aren't claiming your source is theirs, just that the product is theirs. Microsoft claims Windows is theirs despite the theoretical heritage of the FTP client, for example.
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bydangitman ( 862676 ) writes:
But if the source isn't visible they aren't claiming your source is theirs, just that the product is theirs. Microsoft claims Windows is theirs despite the theoretical heritage of the FTP client, for example.
So, how is licensing under the GPL going to stop dishonest pricks from being dishonest pricks? Douchey people are going to do that anyway, regardless of what license you choose (if any). But the point is that most humans regard plagiarism as a much more serious offense than mere copyright infringement. Most people see copying something to use for yourself as a more-or-less acceptable desire. But lying and claiming credit for something that somebody else did, is a pretty serious sin.
byTrue Grit ( 739797 ) * writes:
So, how is licensing under the GPL going to stop dishonest pricks from being dishonest pricks?
It won't, for the same reason that a law can't stop a law-breaker. A law (or a software license) is just words on paper.
Note however, that in the GP's example of the legacy of 'weakly' licensed open source code in MS's closed-source Windows, MS wasn't being dishonest. The license of the code *allowed* them to do what they did. They could not legally do the same with GPL code however.
But the point is that most humans regard plagiarism as a much more serious offense than mere copyright infringement.
My gut says that most humans don't even understand the legal distinctions between those 2 things...
But lying and claiming credit for something that somebody else did, is a pretty serious sin.
In most parts of the worl
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