"If you want to accomplish something in the world, idealism is not enough--you need to choose a method that works to achieve the goal. In other words, you need to be ``pragmatic.'' Is the GPL pragmatic? Let's look at its results.
Consider GNU C++. Why do we have a free C++ compiler? Only because the GNU GPL said it had to be free. GNU C++ was developed by an industry consortium, MCC, starting from the GNU C compiler. MCC normally makes its work as proprietary as can be. But they made the C++ front end free software, because the GNU GPL said that was the only way they could release it. The C++ front end included many new files, but since they were meant to be linked with GCC, the GPL did apply to them. The benefit to our community is evident.
Consider GNU Objective C. NeXT initially wanted to make this front end proprietary; they proposed to release it as<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.o files, and let users link them with the rest of GCC, thinking this might be a way around the GPL's requirements. But our lawyer said that this would not evade the requirements, that it was not allowed. And so they made the Objective C front end free software.
Those examples happened years ago, but the GNU GPL continues to bring us more free software."
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Re:Don't moan about Sun
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on March 30, 2006 12:02 PM<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/pragmatic.html" title="gnu.org">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/pragmatic.html</a gnu.org>
I quote Stallman himself:
"If you want to accomplish something in the world, idealism is not enough--you need to choose a method that works to achieve the goal. In other words, you need to be ``pragmatic.'' Is the GPL pragmatic? Let's look at its results.
Consider GNU C++. Why do we have a free C++ compiler? Only because the GNU GPL said it had to be free. GNU C++ was developed by an industry consortium, MCC, starting from the GNU C compiler. MCC normally makes its work as proprietary as can be. But they made the C++ front end free software, because the GNU GPL said that was the only way they could release it. The C++ front end included many new files, but since they were meant to be linked with GCC, the GPL did apply to them. The benefit to our community is evident.
Consider GNU Objective C. NeXT initially wanted to make this front end proprietary; they proposed to release it as<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.o files, and let users link them with the rest of GCC, thinking this might be a way around the GPL's requirements. But our lawyer said that this would not evade the requirements, that it was not allowed. And so they made the Objective C front end free software.
Those examples happened years ago, but the GNU GPL continues to bring us more free software."
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