[IGDA_indies] GPL/LGPL, etc

[Brandon J. Van Every]

Thomas H. Buscaglia wrote:
>
> Jason
>
> Sounds like a good idea...but probably isn't.  A style guide put
together by non-professionals
> could end up promulgating a lot of bad advice.

Your words are prescient.  I have just bowed out of the IGDA "IP rights
white paper" thread by saying:

"I think the best person to continue with input would be a FSF lawyer. I
think we should have such an authority contributing to the whitepaper,
as the say-so of the IGDA is important and shouldn't be used to spread
misinformation. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms to be made of
the GPL; misinformation is not required. Actually, so many of your
points are addressed by the GPL FAQ, that I'm concerned about the axe
you have to grind here.

"I'm bowing out of this thread. If I see an IGDA whitepaper that is not
factual, I'll bring it to the attention to the FSF and I'm sure they'll
deal with it.

"And, I'll reiterate, I don't even like the GPL. I'm a MIT/BSD kind of
guy. But I think misinformation about open source business models has to
be squashed at the source. Lest other open source licenses be tainted by
market perceptions, or GPL adherants become even more radicalized than
they already are, due to the "enemies circling all around."


Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

"The pioneer is the one with the arrows in his back."
                          - anonymous entrepreneur