Re: GPL (was new plugin- 3D and 2D particle analyzer released)

Posted by Robert Dougherty on
URL: http://imagej.273.s1.nabble.com/Thresholding-from-Java-tp3688545p3688554.html

Johannes,


> Hi Bob,
>
>
> For many people I know, the scientific community is considered to consist
> of people working in academia, i.e. of people who get their money through
> grants, in return for a promise to do research.

Carefully worded, as always. Yes, i suppose I'm a member of the club.

>>
>
> On the other hand, I was exposed to people who feel very strongly in favor
> of the GPL, some just because their code (before they made sure to publish
> all their code as GPL) was used by others in commercial products, and they
> never saw even so much as a cent or more acknowledgement than their name
> mentioned in an obscure menu options.
>
> The worst such story I know of: the author was not even aware that his
> code was used in a commercial product before stumbling over his name in a
> product he had to pay for.

I'm missing something.  It looks like your are saying that your friends want to be sure that their work is never economically important to spare themselves the the embarrassment of finding out that it is and that they were not clever enough to benefit from it.  Doesn't this shortchange the people who otherwise would have developed the product into something useful and convenient enough for customers to pay for and the customers who will never be able to use it because it is frozen in the scientific community stage of development?  It seems like a big price to pay to avoid embarrassment, and they still get bragging rights and have stories to tell in pubs if they use the BSD license.

>
> So yes, there are people who like the GPL, and there are people who do not
> like it. In my opinion, both parties have a point, and it would be the
> wisest to just accept each others' views and go on with life.
>
> Ciao,
> Johannes

Bob