Good view of the GPL

Taken from here: > No matter how good you think the intentions you have are. If *insert corporation > here* wants your code they can take it and use it to create restrictions for the user. Well, duh! The point is that I don't care. If they take my code and put restrictions on it, I still don't care: no matter what happens, I still have my code. Anyone who wants to get my code can still get my code. What they can't get is the *insert corporation here*'s code that they added to my code, and the one very important point the GPL camp misses is that only a communist would lay claim to that code. The corporation wrote it, it's theirs. They can keep it, or sell it, or give it away. But it is immoral for me to force them to give it away. I can do what I want with my free software; I have no right to dictate others what to do with the code they write, even if it is using my code that they legally obtained from me. When I release free software, it's free software. Period. No friggin' GPL strings attached. -- Quoted from Chemisor on slashdot. I really agree with this viewpoint - just because some company took the code I gave away (which both BSD and GPL licenses allow) and didn't release it back to the community (which the GPL does NOT allow) doesn't mean MY code isn't still available. Which is why I don't write software under the GPl anymore, at most I'll use the LGPL, and usually I prefer the BSD as it's truly free for all - developers, companies and end users. The GPL is only free for developers and end users.