Oz WB PCBs - now available - Or how I screwed the list

[Brian L Massey]

On Wed, 24 Oct 2001 11:58:16 -0700 Andrew Theurer <habanero at us.ibm.com>
writes:

> People do this all the time.  Linux, Samba, FreeBSD.  The money 
> makers do have some restictions...

Andrew, you should *read* what you typed. You acknowledge above that
there are 'some restrictions' to the GPL EULA? Restrictions which people
*have* to obey in order to take advantage of a GPL'd item? Yes, indeed,
there are!

Hmmm, sounds just like any other EULA to me. Agree to the conditions, or
you can't make use of the item, unless you're crooked and lacking
integrity.

> If you are worried that someone might make money off an 
> idea/contribution you 
> made public, then you shouldn't make your ideas/contributions 
> public

This is pretty revolting. Again, read what you posted above. You are
*now* saying that since nobody can be expected to obey any EULA, (I guess
that includes the GPL EULA), that *no* contributions should be made
unless one is willing to pose *no* restrictions in the EULA. That
attitude would have killed even the GNU stuff, which was *why* the
GNU/GPL agreements were forged in the first place!! You've just subverted
the very GNU example you used above. It exists *because* of restrictions
in it's EULA. Then you turn around and say, 'there should be *no*
restrictions'. EULAs by their very nature are about *restrictions*.

> I think you need to be realistic here.

You mean, cynical here, don't you? The restrictions the diyWB team placed
on usage were very slight (different in nature than the GPL, but still
quite modest and slight). If the 'gnu free software' team can forge a
EULA to their purposes, and expect it to be obeyed, then so can the diyWB
team.

To say people are greedy and it's just human nature for people to disobey
the conditions and intent of an offering, and so we should just accept
that, is anarchistic. You might as well say, "don't try to make or
enforce laws against mugging; be realistic, if you want to go outside in
public you should just accept the fact that some will mug you". Yeah,
right.

A better way is to hold people to their agreements and contracts, so the
only exchanges and interactions that occur are those agreed to by *both*
parties. That's what agreements, EULAs, contracts, laws, etc are all
about. Otherwise, you're just a pirate. Commonly referred to as a thief,
suckup, parasite, slimeball, crook, etc. You pick it. It walks and talks
like a duck. Mutually agreed upon exchanges are a much better *and* more
realistic way of life. It only takes a very few people openly disavowing
any restrictions on their personal behavior, before everybody withdraws
from the forum. Who wants to deal with people you can't trust; who tell
you to your face they have no intention of keeping their word or keeping
an agreement?

If everybody on this list were as openly crooked and dishonest as Peter
the General has behaved, I'll bet you dollars to donuts this list
wouldn't even exist. 'Honor among thieves' is a pretty thin basis for any
kind of society.

Brian
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