Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com; run by ezmlm Sender: cygwin-owner AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 14:33:02 -0500 Message-Id: <199903181933.OAA29245@envy.delorie.com> From: DJ Delorie To: DAUTREVAUX AT microprocess DOT com CC: cgf AT cygnus DOT com, cygwin AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com In-reply-to: <8135911A809AD211AF6300A02480D175034934@iis000.microdata.fr> (message from Bernard Dautrevaux on Thu, 18 Mar 1999 19:40:35 +0100) Subject: Re: Cygwin license References: <8135911A809AD211AF6300A02480D175034934 AT iis000 DOT microdata DOT fr> > Either you are strongly supporting open source and do NOT want anybody > producing proprietary code based on cygwin and then you should stop > selling licenses to cygwin that allow that; You are making an assumption that isn't valid, then using that assumption to prove the original statment false. Cygnus strongly supports open source. That doesn't mean we don't want people producing proprietary code based on cygwin. > It seems having cygwin GPLed has only one objective: subvert the open > source concept by getting people test and enhance a piece of code that > is in fact proprietary Cygnus software that generates revenues to Cygnus > by selling licenses to use a GPLed product. Nothing personal, but this is all wrong. I understand that the use of the GPL is easy to misunderstand, but such is life. Let's see if I can explain it: There is a difference between the GPL and the "open source method". I think you're thinking of the "bazaar model" of ESR, which is independent of the GPL. You can use the bazaar model to produce non-gpl software (like BSD or Apache). You can use the cathedral model to produce GPL software (as Cygnus does for contract customers). In the case of Cygwin, Cygnus has multiple goals. First, we use it internally for running our NT-hosted software, nearly all of which is GPL anyway (gcc, gdb, etc). Second, we use it as a source of income to help fund future development (me and Chris :). Third, we provide it to the net community in an effort to promote other groups to adopt the GPL, and in trade for contributions. In the latter cases, there is a trade of value. In the second case, we trade money for the priviledge of using cygwin in a proprietary program. In the third case, we trade development and testing help for the right to use, modify, and redistribute cygwin according to the GPL. Note that in this case, the GPL helps *you*, not us. The GPL makes certain guarantees to *you* about your ability to continue using the software regardless of our desires. The only thing it does for us is ensure that no other proprietary program can use that version, which both promotes the GPL itself and ensures that license sales will continue to be able to support our development staff. In no case are we trying to "subvert the open source method". We think you are getting fair value for your efforts, and by releasing the code under the GPL we guarantee that we cannot "subvert" anything, as the GPL governs distribution after that point. Neither are we selling licenses to GPL code. As the authors of the code, Cygnus has the right to distribute multiple versions under different licenses (note that this is why we require legal papers assigning copyright to us before accepting major contributions). When we create a distribution for the net, it becomes GPL'd *when* we release it, not before. When we create a GNUPro licensed distribution, it becomes a licensed distribution *when* we sell it, not before. I'd also like to point out that cygwin wouldn't exist at all if it weren't for GNUPro and license sales. So, if you are benefitting from cygwin, you should thank those licensed copies for it. -- Want to unsubscribe from this list? Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com