Context:

Permissive licenses (commonly referred to as “cuck licenses”) like the MIT license allow others to modify your software and release it under an unfree license. Copyleft licenses (like the Gnu General Public License) mandate that all derivative works remain free.

Andrew Tanenbaum developed MINIX, a modular operating system kernel. Intel went ahead and used it to build Management Engine, arguably one of the most widespread and invasive pieces of malware in the world, without even as much as telling him. There’s nothing Tanenbaum could do, since the MIT license allows this.

Erik Andersen is one of the developers of Busybox, a minimal implementation of that’s suited for embedded systems. Many companies tried to steal his code and distribute it with their unfree products, but since it’s protected under the GPL, Busybox developers were able to sue them and gain some money in the process.

Interestingly enough, Tanenbaum doesn’t seem to mind what intel did. But there are some examples out there of people regretting releasing their work under a permissive license.

  • Chakravanti@lemmy.ml
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    16 days ago

    When I see a GPL license I don’t see freedom.

    Blind tyrannical instructions that no one knows who the CPU itself answers to and follows because it doesn’t matter who paid for the hardware when no one knows what the instructions were given to because they were closed source software.

    I only see forced openness,

    It’s not forced. Use any other lie you’d like. It’s the ability to read and know what the instruction given are. I needn’t have to be able to read when I can trust the masses who can and I’ll take that over ONE jackass we know better than to trust.

    which makes me immediately avoid that library

    Bye. Don’t give a flying fuck about you or your software. YOU are that jackass we stopped.

    since I can’t statically link to it.

    Starts generating tears with the happiest smile on face you’ve ever seen.

    • calcopiritus@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      You seem angry at me because I don’t license my code as GPL. Is that what freedom means now? Freedom means everyone has to use the license I want or I’ll bully them!

      It’s the code I wrote, let me license it however the fuck I want if I’m not using your code.

      • Chakravanti@lemmy.ml
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        15 days ago

        You seem angry

        Well it’s a good thing you can read emotions from text. Shows that your a true sycophant to tyranny.

        Is that what freedom means now?

        No. Cuz no one gives a flying fuck about you, wannabe.

        bully

        Nice try kid.

        It’s the code I wrote, let me license it however the fuck I want if I’m not using your code.

        Apologies. I can’t even insult you about this cuz I can’t stop laughing AT you.

    • Midnight1938@reddthat.com
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      16 days ago

      Its like saying people enjoying a moment collectively in a park means forcing people to give up their smart phones to force communication

      • Chakravanti@lemmy.ml
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        16 days ago

        Yeah, GPL is forcing anyone to do anything because the the code is…oh wait…that’s not possible because it’s open source…and hence…FREEDOM.