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Comment by quickthrower2 | Hacker News Reader

Maybe... AWS release a proprietary source-unavailable CoreUtils that they stick on their VMs. They embrace it! they extend it! And then eventually the average dev needs to use the AWSCoreUtils (source unavailable, restrictive license that you can't sue Bezos etc.) to get anything done as everyone else's bash script assumes it's functionality.

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How does the existence/adoption of a Rust version of coreutils under MIT make that more likely to happen?

Because you can't do that with GPL. Any modification to GPL must be GPL, hence available to everyone. That's not the case with non-copyleft.

The application service provider loophole lets Amazon do that with the GPL software today. GNU Core Utils would need to be relicensed as AGPL to prevent it.

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-affero-gpl.html

The AGPL is for services accessed through the network. In the specific example above, it was about a set of utils available by default on a VM, which is closer to what the GPL covers (it's the same thing as the Amazon Linux that they must make available, really)

This specific case doesn't since there already has been permissively licenses alternatives to GNU core utils for years.

instead we have EEE by GNU coreutils on proper POSIX tools and we're forced to install the GNU toolset to make scripts work

Please elaborate on the "extinguish" part from GNU/GPL.

Edit: Doesnt the existence of uutils already contradict that?

"forced to install the GNU toolset to make scripts work" is the extinguish part to my understanding

Yes, but the source is available and anyone can fix the bugs.

1) you can install them no questions asked

2) you can modify them no questions asked

3) thus you can get shit done

4) you can’t keep the changes you needed to make to yourself so the next one after you can start at 1)

I don’t see issues here

> 4) you can’t keep the changes you needed to make to yourself so the next one after you can start at 1)

Actually you can even keep the changes. You only have to share the sources if you are publishing compiled binaries.

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