GNU AGPLv3 Approaches Release, Skype's Recent Problems Illustrate Its Need

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2007-08-19 02:43:06 UTC
Modified: 2007-08-19 02:43:06 UTC

The last time we mentioned GPLv3, we noted its astonishing and sudden growth. Its sibling, the GNU Affero General Public License, is approaching finalisation.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today released the second discussion draft of the GNU Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL). This new license is based on version 3 of the GNU GPL. It has a new requirement to ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive the source for that program.

An interesting post from Andy Oram came amid some serious downtimes that Skype had been experiencing. Their problems lasted for a long time and they are said to have been a result of software bugs. Andy says that the AGPL would have been a good fit here for a variety of reasons.

If the Skype problem lay not with the server but with client software, the value of open source software would be even more evident. Proprietary software creates a monoculture. The free software movement tends to create multiple tools to do the same thing, which can be confusing for people trying to choose the best audio player, PDF viewer, word processor, etc. But the diversity allows for a quick switch in case a crippling bug turns up in one project.

It would certainly be interesting to see if alternative front ends are created for Second Life, which is now open on both the client and server side. Second Life has also proven that a commercial venture need not be hindered or hurt by openness. In fact, a new interview from Don Parris has a lot more to say about this. While Microsoft tries to portray the GPLv3 as adverse to business, the truth if far from that.

Ada Core Technologies: Free Software Business Model Is Viable

Ada Core is one of a few businesses listed as such by the Free Software Foundation/GNU Project.

[...]

There is a clear trend towards greater use of Free Software licenses (e.g., in the wide adoption of GNU/Linux systems)

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GNU AGPLv3 Approaches Release, Skype's Recent Problems Illustrate Its Need

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