Re: GPL again (was IFS in RPG)

["John Taylor" <jtaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hans Boldt wrote:

> OK, let's look at this another way.  Let's say your in-house
> application used some commercial 3rd party service program.  In such
> a case, you would still be held hostage to the licensing terms of
> that service program.

Absolutely. The difference is that the licensing terms of such a product
typically allow, indeed, promote, redistribution without forcing their own
license upon their customers. There is a multi-million dollar market in 3rd
party controls for VB which provides evidence that such a system works well.

> The "significant asset" of the company would
> be "devalued" under those terms as well.

That's depends entirely upon the license terms for each 3rd party product
used within the software, and is therefore pure speculation. In my
experience, I've yet to run across a commercial toolkit which attempts to
extend it's own license terms to cover a system within which it has been
included as a component.

With respect to the GPL, there is no speculation involved. It's written out
in explicit terms.


> Just as a commercial
> package has an associated cost, GPL'ed software has it's costs.

It sure does! What's unfortunate is that so few seem to be aware of that
fact.

> BTW, just because your whole application falls under the GPL,
> there's no reason you can't still make money off it.  There's also
> money to be made from training and support.

Perhaps, but I believe the jury is still out on that one. In any event, I'm
not really against the GPL. I just don't think that it's the right answer
for all software.

> Looking at the issue from another angle, it's only an issue if there
> is the desire to distribute the software.  But for many in-house
> applications, the asset is valuable to the company for the simple
> reason that the company has that software and its competitors do not.

Yes, and thus it is exactly that: an asset of the company. An asset which
can and will be measured in financial terms should the corporation consider
a sale, going public, or even arranging financing.


John Taylor