Re: Why GPL for GNAT hurt(s) the Application Space

[tonyg <tonythegair@gmail.com>]

On Wednesday, 8 October 2014 23:09:58 UTC+1, David Botton  wrote:
> >>  I think this claim may not have been accurate (otherwise 
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> >> why would FSF require copyright statements in each file?) 
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> I think the entire GNAT GPL idea is suspect, however, I and I think most others are not about to challenge it. I had my vote at an AdaCore meeting against the idea and what was, is.
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> As I wrote, GNAT GPL _hurt_ and _hurts_ the Application programming space for Ada, even though for AdaCore it "may" have helped to stem the tide of customers leaving to use the public releases. Sure it is better that GNAT GPL exists than nothing. Since that would hurt all of Ada. Certainly I appreciate that it is AdaCore that fuels the development for these years of a free compiler. So don't get me wrong. I understand, appreciated and even like AdaCore.
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> However, I think worth making a _very clear_ statement if not for those working on http://gnuada.sourceforge.net/ (you all have my praise) and producing a Mac FSF Gnat version, I would never have bothered to write Gnoga, I would never bother with Ada public projects again, I would have just used another (unnamed language and dev environment) that I have used for numerous projects since being away from working on public Ada projects (although I have been doing private Ada work, even did some for AdaCore).
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> I had the idea for Gnoga even before websockets came out years back. I even had some tests running using alternate methods. The point is I didn't feel the desire anymore to try and promote or push Ada and use if it meant you were locked in to the GPL (despite the fact that if Ada was popular enough I'd feel the opposite about it!)
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> No one wants to waste their time and until I felt I had a viable tool suite that didn't have the GPL virus in it, Ada was out for public projects for me.
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> I even wrote and used for production an entire Rails for Ada, never bothered releasing it. (I've ported some of the code into Gnoga and more will come) in this in between time.
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> I am an Application developer. I've written systems stuff, some compiler stuff, etc., I just don't enjoy it.
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> I am a software _artist_ with engineering skills. Coding is meditation, magic and music.
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> I like to make noise and say look at this cool stuff, try this. I want to share my music, I want to share my enthusiasm for the mystical creation of new code.
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> So when I think that I can't share my code with anyone since no one will be able to use it (remember the Application space doesn't have the 10s of 1000s  for support contracts) why bother...
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> Sometimes I wonder if I had bother completing the few lines of code left to GNAVI for Windows if it would have been the VB killer, or if I ported GWindows to Linux and Mac bringing easy VB like dev everywhere in Ada, maybe not since Windows _died_ and the Web was born, but who knows.
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> So as long as I think there is an audience for my music, Gnoga rolls on :)
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> David Botton
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> yes I have a big head, yes I think too much of my work and what I am doing and what it could be, yes sometimes people think it means I think less of their work (never the case), but dreams make reality, and ambition produces results. So be it, I don't get paid to do this somethings got to motivate change :)

Well I'm listening and enjoying it so far, and I think others are too... Rock on David