Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

People get upset about the GPL but this is exactly why it was created.



Precisely why GPL is the way it is. If a company released Apache or BSD code they must understand that the code can be used and extended for commercial purposes and they don't have to offer those extensions back to the community. If you want to ensure those who derive benefits from it also contribute back, you choose GPL.


GPL doesn't require you to give back to the community, only to your users. That's a huge difference and that's why GPL is generally ok for internal projects.


I didn’t say any differently. A company like Amazon would have to release their enhancements/changes/ modifications. It doesn’t matter if it’s to their users - they can’t prohibit their users from sharing it which for all intents and purposes is contributing back to the community.




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: