When the GPL makes complete sense
Before I forget all about this software world, I wanted to put in a word for the GPL for a different reason that I have done in the past. Explaining the advantages of freedom for software in a business setting was always a difficult excercise. Reading a manifesto makes you look like a bomb throwing anarchist most of the time. So in fact we focused on the free as in beer, as opposed to the free as in freedom when it comes to corporate america. But place yourself at the point of singularity . In 10, 20 or maybe 200 years, man and machine will merge. Increasingly we will use software to control functions of the body. In that world, you want to have "free software" as in "freedom". Money wont really be the issue, freedom to run and modify will be. You want freedom to run the software that backs up your memories, you want the freedom to modify the HUD software in your field of vision. Imagine waiting for "human service pack 3.1" to fix bugs, it can't