I ask this because I think of the recent switch of Ubuntu to the Rust recode of the GNU core utils, which use an MIT license. There are many Rust recodes of GPL software that re-license it as a pushover MIT or Apache licenses. I worry these relicensing efforts this will significantly harm the FOSS ecosystem. Is this reason to start worrying or is it not that bad?

IMO, if the FOSS world makes something public, with extensive liberties, then the only thing that should be asked in return is that people preserve these liberties, like the GPL successfully enforces. These pushover licenses preserve nothing.

  • nous@programming.dev
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    14 hours ago

    You can profit from GPL software. The only restriction is if you distribute it you also need to distribute modifications under the GPL.

    GPL also does nothing for software as a service since it is never distributed.

    GPL even explicitly allows selling GPL software. This is effectively what redhat do. They just need to distribute the source to those that they sell it to.

    • Drew@sopuli.xyz
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      11 hours ago

      Prograns like that are usually distributed under AGPL which protects server side software

      And RHEL bit-for-bit compatible gratis alternatives exist, which is because of the GPL