Re: GNAT GPL 2005 Edition is now available

["Ludovic Brenta" <ludovic@ludovic-brenta.org>]

Larry Kilgallen a écrit :
> David Trudgett writes:
>
>> The explanation AdaCore comes up with must explain how restricting
>> the freedom of developers to license their own work in the way most
>> suitable to them, does not prove contempt of the very principles of
>> freedom that the GPL is supposed to be defending.
>
> The GPL effect is designed to be viral -- AdaCore is now adhering to
> it more closely.  They are quite in tune with the FSF manifesto.
>
> The fact that AdaCore motives are likely to be promoting their own
> supported product is obvious, as is the fallacy of those who had
> viewed GNAT as the answer to all problems in provision of compilers
> for Ada.
>
> Computing (like life) has no "magic bullet".

I agree.  As I have stated before, I personally do not have any
objection to libgnat being GPL for non-customers.  There seems to be
quite strong feelings the opposite way, and even some frustration.
These feelings and frustration do not have to be.

AdaCore does not serve amateurs or hobbyists; AdaCore does not serve
SMEs or individual professionals.  AdaCore concentrates on serving
large businesses.  This is not new.

I asked for votes about the next Ada compiler in Debian only because I
want to do what users want.  AdaCore has no obligation to do what
non-customers want, and no obligation to explain their decisions.

Because GNAT is (very) inexpensive and (was) legally unencumbered,
amateurs, hobbyists, SMEs and individual professionals have come to
depend on AdaCore for continued updates to GNAT.  Now, many feel
betrayed.  But there is no betrayal since there was no prior
agreement.

If this dependence on AdaCore is really a problem, the solution is
independence from AdaCore, not complaints.  This independence exists
today in the form of the FSF tree.  Also, AdaCore's own CVS server
(containing AWS, GLADE, GtkAda, GPS, etc.) is still accessible and
contains sources with the special permission to link these libraries
with non-GPL programs.  If someone wants independence from AdaCore,
they can always take a snapshot of that repository and start
maintaining the thing themselves.  This is much better than being a
captive customer.  And, as a convenience, many binary distributions of
the GMGPL libraries still exist at no cost.

Also, several people here have stated their willingness to pay for
support, but that they couldn't afford AdaCore's astronomical rates.
This seems to indicate that there is a market opportunity to form a
small business to provide "low-end" support contracts.  This market is
free for the taking, as is the software itself.

Since I don't personally take issue with libgnat being GPLed, I'm
not going to be the one doing a fork.  But if this is enough of an
itch to somebody, then by all means, scratch it.

-- 
Ludovic Brenta.