From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID,
	REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 103376,577c9f9c0cdd76d
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
From: aidan@skinner.demon.co.uk (Aidan Skinner)
Subject: Re: Help help.. please.i am totaly new in ada programing
Date: 1999/11/03
Message-ID: <slrn81v52t.1aj.aidan@skinner.demon.co.uk>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 544058649
X-NNTP-Posting-Host: skinner.demon.co.uk:158.152.76.219
References: <7vbtof$de9$1@oceanite.cybercable.fr>
 <38199224_3@news1.prserv.net> <3819A44A.9F5E6B97@maths.unine.ch>
 <7vhh53$81f$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <381DE427.4A04F864@maths.unine.ch>
 <7vml31$pk0$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <381F0B97.8DBCFFC8@maths.unine.ch>
 <7vnddp$ck6$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net
X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 941655427 nnrp-11:21121 NO-IDENT
 skinner.demon.co.uk:158.152.76.219
Organization: None
User-Agent: slrn/0.9.5.7 (UNIX)
Reply-To: aidan@skinner.demon.co.uk
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1999-11-03T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

On Tue, 02 Nov 1999 19:18:22 GMT, Robert Dewar
<robert_dewar@my-deja.com> wrote: 

>are using a totally different definition of free (gratuit) than
>what I meant when I said that GNAT+GNU/Linux is the only totally
>free (libre) Ada 95 solution.

I think that even using the libre sense of the word "free" this is
still an incorrect claim. Some of the BSDs are as "free" as GNU/Linux,
at least as far as the following go:

   freedom to see the source code
   freedom to modify and redistribute the source code

and GNAT will run on them.

The major difference between GPL'd software and BSD-licensed software
AFAIC is the fact that with GPL'd software you're *guaranteed* access
to the source, now and forever. This isn't the case with BSD.

>From the point of view of someone developing software on the platform
they are the same (the important thing for me is the ability to fork
if necessary). I'm equally happy to use software that uses the BSD
licence as long as I have access to the source code as I am to use
GPL'd software.

As a developer, I wouldn't release code under a BSD licence because I
don't want people taking my work, changing it and not giving those
changes back to the community. I much prefer the GPL and related
licenses, as I feel it gives me more security and provides protection
against attempts to "embrace and exterminate" my code.

This is, however, something of an ecumenical matter. ;)

- Aidan
-- 
"I say we just bury him and eat dessert"
http://www.skinner.demon.co.uk/aidan/
OpenPGP Key Fingerprint: 9858 33E6 C755 7D34 B5C5  316D 9274 1343 FBE6 99D9