Hacker News Reader

Comment by chii | Hacker News Reader

> which is often worse than open-source software, but packaged better

isn't that a contradiction? How can it be worse, but packaged better, if the packaging is what people are paying for?

> GPL discourages corporate (=widespread) adoption

and i believe this is because most GPL software doesn't provide enough value over the cost. But for MIT style licenses, there is zero cost, and thus, adoption must be high by the laws of supply/demand!

In other words, the excess value provided by the software under an MIT license is extracted and kept by the corporations using it. GPL licenses forces some sort of non-monetary compensation in the form of contributions, and thus, the corp cannot extract and retain the full value of the software (and hence, they correctly decide to make a cost/benefit analysis, and choose the most profitable decision).

View on HN

> GPL licenses forces some sort of non-monetary compensation in the form of contributions, and thus, the corp cannot extract and retain the full value of the software

No, this is false.

- You can use a GPL library without making changes and contributing anything upstream

- You can use a GPL library internally and make changes without contributing anything upstream

- You can use a GPL library, make changes and distribute it to 3rd parties and, only in that case, you simply have to share the changes with the 3rd parties. [Not with upstream]

> You can use a GPL library without making changes and contributing anything upstream

which is fine - your usage of GPL software doesn't affect anyone else. If you decide to charge for it, that's OK too - since if the market exists for such software, the price would equalize to the break-even point of the cost of production.

> You can use a GPL library internally and make changes without contributing anything upstream

If it's "internal", aka, not visible to the outside world, then that's fine too. There's no effect from anyone else's perspective.

> You can use a GPL library, make changes ... share the changes with the 3rd parties

This is the point i was trying to make - in this case, where you make changes, you have to share it. Even tho it's just the 3rd party, this 3rd party has the right to distribute these changes. And anyone that has access to the software is also the 3r party.

So, in other words, if you have visible effects to the outside world with your (changed) GPL software, you are effectively bound to contribute those changes for free, or relicense with the owner to hide those changes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com