hypothetical(?) GPL problem

[Frank Heckenbach]

Marc Eberhard wrote:

> > So a distribution of a GNU library in millions of copies of
> > proprietary programs would not be productive, in fact
> > counter-productive because it doesn't give the end-users the
> > freedoms. It might give them a technically better, but proprietary
> > program and therefore less reason to switch to a really free
> > alternative.
> 
> I do see this scenario only as a transient state. It will start with one
> free library in the closed source program. Later there will be two, three
> and eventually the closed part of the code will become so minimal, that it
> will be easy to replace it entirely.

If they want to ...

> Thus a program can become free by more
> and more free parts in it. It's a matter of time. Each piece of free
> software in a closed source program is one secret less, they have in their
> safes.

As long as they can't make secret changes in those pieces (LGPL
prevent this, as any changes to the library itself must be
distributed with source when distributing a binary based on the
library).

Frank

-- 
Frank Heckenbach, frank at g-n-u.de
http://fjf.gnu.de/
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