[MPlayer-users] Stop the License Bullshit here and now!

[Michael Hunold]

Hello Felix von Leitner,

> > And that code is still GPL. The only code that isn't GPL is the code
> > that Arpi & co has written from scratch and that doesn't use any other
> > code. If that code needs the other GPL code to function I would agree
> > with you, but does it?
> 
> Noone cares.

If nobody would care, then there wouldn't be such discussions over
and over again all over the internet.

Just because you don't care, does this affect all the others?

> If you don't like the license, send a lawyer or write your own player.

That answer is way to simple. I don't want a lengthy discussion
with you -- just a few comments on that.

Have you ever read and thought about what Richard Stallmann and Eric
Raymond's philisophy behind GPL and open source is? 

I see you live in Germany -- perhaps you should take the latest
c't magazines, issues 20 and 21, and read the article series
"Open Source: Aus der Open Source Geschichte lernen"
(issue 20: page 176ff, issue 21: page 270ff)
to get a quick insight into this.

After reading that, please tell my again that you don't care
about it.

> This threads costs more than the development time of the mplayer
> developments in international bandwidth and time wasted from the readers
> of this mailing list.  Go Away.  Now.

Licensing is an integral part of every software project. If
you are not interested in it, don't read the threads. 

I just noticed that you are working for 'Convergence'. In my eyes
your company produces great stuff (mostly covered by the
GPL) for a GPL operating system using GPL compilers and GPL tools.

You are taking the efforts of all the developers involved into
that programs for granted. But didn't they provide you with the
tools that you are currently working with "for free" and therefore
made your job possible after all?

The GPL simply ensures that if you take something from the
community and produce something upon that, you have to
give something back to the community. Without restrictions.

It's that easy -- perhaps you should ask someone in your
company about that. They will surely tell you that
licensing isn't bullshit at all...

If you like to comment on my opinion, then please send it 
to my private address. I agree that this gets personal
and does not belong to the list any more.

CU
Michael.