Why so few Python jobs? (and licenses)

[Cliff Wells]

On Monday 08 October 2001 19:01, Paul Rubin wrote:

> It can be even stickier unless the GPL'd library supplier is
> completely the sole developer and didn't accept any patches from
> anyone without getting signed documents from the submitter assigning
> outright ownership of the patches including for non-GPL'd use.  (And
> some people who have signed such assignments in the past without
> realizing what they were getting into are now pissed about it).  If I
> submit a patch to a GPL'd program, it's with the understanding that
> the patch is GPL'd, unless I agree otherwise.  If the patch is
> accepted and patched program later gets distributed under a non-GPL,
> I'd feel I had a claim against both the developer and his customer.

I have to admit I hadn't thought of that.... :(   Still, to be honest, I 
consider GPL'd/open source stuff to be a matter of goodwill, and if I 
submitted a patch to a GPL'd author that means that I am obviously using his 
code to a significant degree and the patch is just my small thanks for that.  
If the author later profits from that it's all the better, as far as I'm 
concerned, as this will undoubtedly encourage him/her to develop more code 
(and maybe even let him eat, if he needs to).  People who resent that sort of 
thing are perhaps missing the larger picture.   Most (admittedly not all - 
large projects like Linux being an exception) GPL'd projects 90% the result 
of one or two people's efforts with small improvements and fixes being 
submitted by others (who, as I said earlier, are already benefitting from the 
existence of that project - probably more than enough to compensate for their 
small contribution).   I suppose those same people resent the FSF selling 
copies of GPL'd books.  I think licensing GPL'd code is a good idea if it 
helps support the efforts of open source programmers.  Getting paid to 
develop open source is the best of both worlds and benefits everyone.

> People who want to develop closed-source products and charge for them
> ought to be willing to pay for the libraries and tools they use
> anyway.

Very true, I was thinking more along the lines of _who_ you choose to give 
your money to.  Since I use open source/GPL stuff all the time, if I can 
justify giving them money, that's what I prefer to do.   That's why I buy the 
RedHat CD's rather than just downloading them.

Regards,

-- 
Cliff Wells
Software Engineer
Logiplex Corporation (www.logiplex.net)
(503) 978-6726 x308
(800) 735-0555 x308