linux-kernel - Re: Wasting our Freedom

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Date:	Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:10:53 +0200
From:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>
To:	"J.C. Roberts" <jcroberts@...igntools.org>
Cc:	Jeff Garzik <jeff@...zik.org>,
	Daniel Hazelton <dhazelton@...er.net>,
	Kyle Moffett <mrmacman_g4@....com>,
	Jason Dixon <jason@...ongroup.net>, misc@...nbsd.org,
	moglen@...twarefreedom.org, bkuhn@...twarefreedom.org,
	norwood@...twarefreedom.org, fontana@...twarefreedom.org,
	karen@...twarefreedom.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Wasting our Freedom

On Mon, Sep 17, 2007 at 01:22:28AM -0700, J.C. Roberts wrote:
>...
> Saying something like:
>     "Linux Kernel != FSF/GNU" 
> 
> is quite similar to saying:
>     "Windows != Microsoft"
> 
> In both cases, the pairs of terms may not be "equal" but they are 
> certainly related. Also in both cases, the former term is most often 
> considered part of the latter term. Just as the Linux kernel is under 
> the GPL of the FSF/GNU, equally Windows is under EULA of Microsoft. You 
> are correct in stating a distinction technically exists, yet in common 
> language of everyday people, the terms are interchangeable even though 
> it is pedantically incorrect to do so.
>...

You could equally say that
  "OpenBSD != University of California, Berkeley"

was wrong since OpenBSD uses the licence of the UCB. [1]

Or that
  "OpenBSD != NetBSD"

was wrong since OpenBSD is just a spinoff of NetBSD, and for everyday 
people all the *BSD operating systems are anyway the same.

Or that
  "OpenBSD != Linux kernel"

was wrong since although they are not equal, they are related since they 
are both open source operating systems.

Or even that
  "OpenBSD != FSF"

was wrong.

In case you wonder about the latter, check at [2] whose project's 
project leaders won the FSF's Award for the Advancement of Free Software 
and whose project's project leader did not.

The FSF and the Linux kernel community have some relationship, but they 
are quite distinct communities with different views on some things.

As an example, Linus Torvalds made clear some years ago that the kernel 
is GPLv2 only and will stay GPLv2 forever. This makes it impossible to 
move the kernel to the FSF's new GPLv3. If you have such differences in 
mind it sounds ridiculous when people don't differentiate between the 
FSF and the Linux kernel community.

> kind regards,
> jcr

cu
Adrian

[1] I don't know the background of the 2-clause BSD licence, but at 
    least for the 3-clause and 4-clause BSD licences this was true
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Award_for_the_Advancement_of_Free_Software

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

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