> Except when they refuse to admit that they have a bug.  I understand
> that there is some VERY questionable logic in the current Linux ARP
> code, and the relevant developer simply refuses to admit that it
> should be changed.  Since there is effectively no way to apply market
> pressure to free software, it might never get changed.  Assorted
> vendors are cringing about how much THEY are likely to have to spend
> to 'support' this quirk that won't go away...

But then why don't they just fix it?

> The things going on (or not going on) with the Jal compiler since
> it was made open source are mildly amusing as well.

Interesting! In what sense, and what did you contribute yourself?

> Open source is a fine thing, but it doesn't solve all problems.

What made you think it would?

> It also isn't new.  Universities and such were sharing source code
> for all sorts of stuff long before the 8086 even existed...

Totally free (public domain) stuff is not new, but the GPL is new, and a
marevellous piece of 'code'.

> It does raise some interesting Intellectual Property issues.  If
> code is copyrighted and/or trade secret, I am free to "clean room"
> reproduce similar code (like an IBMPC BIOS, as a popular item) if
> I can reasonably demonstrate that I never studied, stole, or otherwise
> used the code i am 'reverse engineering.'  Accused of violating GPL
> by including open source (GPL'ed) code, I would likely have a very
> difficult time indeed demonstrating that I had never looked at the
> relevant open source code.   I'm not a big fan of the GPL ("if you
> include any GPL code, your code must also be GPL'ed.")  We have a
> <expletive deleted> legal team that has to oversee and approve
> every use of open source code in our products.  Somehow, I think
> paying lawyers big bucks instead of paying programmers big bucks
> was NOT what even RMS had in mind.

Yes he had. You are making closed software, otherwise you would not need
to avoid using GPL-ed software. And RMS has tried to make that hard. And
he used the same law others use to make using software hard: the
copyright law. I think GCC is good coding work, but GPL is much better.

Wouter van Ooijen

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Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
consultancy, development, PICmicro products

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