Linux World domination (was Re: [NCLUG] PC for Linux (Ubuntu))

[Brett Johnson]

On Thu, 2008-09-18 at 18:02 -0600, John L. Bass wrote:
> A programmer is an author, and should have the rights of any other
> author ... removing the rights of software authors, is just the first
> step of removing the rights from all authors, artists, and other
> creative people to remove their right of ownership, and right to make
> a living from their own creativity.

John, Is that a troll, or are you really so ignorant about how the GPL
works, that you think it involves the author somehow giving up their
"rights" to the code they wrote?  GPL != Public Domain (where the author
does, in fact, give up his/her copyrights).  The GPL depends heavily on
the author retaining *all* his/her rights granted under copyright law.
If the author did not retain those rights, the GPL would not be legally
binding in any way.  All the GPL does, is grant *others* additional
rights to use my copyrighted code in specific ways, and under specific
restrictions that ensure my rights and wishes (as author) are respected.

-- 
Brett Johnson <brett at hp.com>
 Irritated at Outlook's plain-text quoting?
 http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/outlook-quotefix/