Joe 'Zonker" Brockmeier Fights FOSS LIcense FUD

[ Thanks to Ron Miller for this link. ]

"Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier, who is Community Manager for openSUSE and has been working with FOSS in one way or another since 1996, says the bottom line is that you should always check the license language carefully, so that you are keenly aware of the terms, but you should never let the license scare you away from open source.

"RM: Every time I write about opens source, I get comments about watching out for the licenses, that they can be confusing and get companies in trouble if they don't pay attention. Are open source licenses in general any more complex than their commercial counterparts?

"JZB: Not really. The only difference is that open source licenses allow redistribution and modification -- and since there are a lot of different licenses with different conditions, companies should pay attention when they engage in those activities.

"As a general rule, though, use of open source is no more complex --and is typically less complex -- than use of proprietary software."

Complete Story

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