“I’ve read the statement of Sun Community Source License (SCSL)
principles by Sun co-founder Bill Joy and Sun distinguished
engineer William Gabriel … and I think Sun is trying to inject a
means of doing business while retaining some of the best aspects of
an open source code-like approach.”
“The basic open source tenet says you are allowed to take a
piece of software and modify and even sell it, but you can’t
restrict other people from using the modifications. The software
spun out by this approach — the Apache Web server or the Linux
operating system — testifies to its effectiveness. The open source
code approach sustains a vigorous community of mutual
interest.”
“But Sun is trying to provide a business basis for developing
code along open source lines. It has applied the SCSL principles to
Jini in hopes of encouraging its widespread use and letting those
who do adopt it have a basis for launching a product line.”