[Discuss] "Getting Cute with the GPL"

[Paul Ramsey]

I wonder if Linux is "relicenseable" at this point. Given all the 
contributors who have contributed under GPLv2, how could Linus or anyone 
by fiat change the license?

- To answer my question, by forking the GPLv2 code base and saying 
"here's a new code base under GPLv3".  But then the community would have 
to choose whether to follow the Leader onto the new tree or stay with 
the old tree.

Fun fun fun.

P

Thor Wolpert wrote:
> http://lkml.org/lkml/2006/1/25/273
> 
> Here's the link to Linus's statement that they are staying with GPL v2.  
> He could always change his mind, but the current Linux Kernel is v2 and 
> states that it is only v2 and does not automatically change to v3.
> 
> So although interesting arguments, they are not too applicable for the 
> kernel at the moment.
> 
> 
> On 16-Nov-06, at 4:12 PM, Thor Wolpert wrote:
> 
>> Linux is staying the course on GLPv2 and not moving to GPLv3 ... as 
>> per comments from Linus himself.
>>
>> Sounds like fun though!
>>
>> On 16-Nov-06, at 2:20 PM, Alan W. Irwin wrote:
>>
>>> Pamela Jones is in her usual fine form on patents, Novell/MS, and the 
>>> GPL.
>>> See (http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061116103031303).
>>>
>>> Alan
>>> __________________________
>>> Alan W. Irwin
>>>
>>> Astronomical research affiliation with Department of Physics and 
>>> Astronomy,
>>> University of Victoria (astrowww.phys.uvic.ca).
>>>
>>> Programming affiliations with the FreeEOS equation-of-state 
>>> implementation
>>> for stellar interiors (freeeos.sf.net); PLplot scientific plotting 
>>> software
>>> package (plplot.org); the Yorick front-end to PLplot (yplot.sf.net); the
>>> Loads of Linux Links project (loll.sf.net); and the Linux Brochure 
>>> Project
>>> (lbproject.sf.net).
>>> __________________________
>>>
>>> Linux-powered Science
>>> __________________________
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>>
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