[ Thanks to Myddrin
for this link. ]
Lineo was one of the companies quick to respond to the Mundie
“shared source speech,” and its CEO, Bryan Sparks, follows up with
a more thorough defense of the GPL, addressing the frequent
complaints about its “viral” nature.
Lineo takes some pride in its “third way,” which, while
involving unabashed use of proprietary modules riding on top of the
kernel, also respects the openness of the software it’s building on
top of.
“…Challengers of the GPL like to spread fear about
its “viral” effect. Yet what they fail to mention is that all
software licenses (even the Microsoft Windows license) have the
same viral effect as the GPL. The difference between a derivative
of Microsoft code and a derivative of GPL code is the final
ownership of the code. Microsoft code and derivatives assuredly go
back to Microsoft and possibly benefit them with profits.GPL code and derivatives go back to the GPL and the public
domain and possibly benefit numerous individuals and organizations.
This said, the GPL clearly delineates an ability to use GPL code,
and future derivatives of that code, without threat of trademark
infringement.”