Linus Torvalds, originator of the open source operating
system Linux, has criticised the Free Software Foundation following
the launch of a new draft of the GNU General Public License version
3 (GPLv3).
The second discussion draft of the GPLv3 was published last week
by the Free Software Foundation and the Software Freedom Law
Center. The licence is expected to be adopted by open source
software developers.
But in comments on the Groklaw.net website, Torvalds suggested
that the Free Software Foundation was posturing as a guardian of
“freedom” rather than producing a “fair” licence that would allow
developers and companies to offer source code on a “quid pro quo”
basis.
“The reason for the GPL, as far as the FSF is concerned, was
never ‘fairness’. It was all about a higher calling, and about
something that the FSF thinks is much bigger – ‘freedom’,” he
wrote.
“I disagree. I think that ‘freedom’ is fine, but we're not
exactly talking about slavery here. Trying to make it look like
we're the Abraham Lincoln of our generation just makes us look
stupid and stuck up.”
Torvalds added that the GPLv3 would no longer work as a “fair”
system. “It's purely a firebrand, and only good for the extremist
policies of the FSF. It's no longer a nice balance that a lot of
people can accept, and that a lot of companies can stand behind
once you explain it to them,” he said.
In January, Torvalds attacked an earlier GPLv3 draft over
provisions covering Digital Rights Management (DRUM)
technology.
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