The Free Software Foundation is no longer committing to the planned March deadline for a new version of the General Public License, but a third draft of the seminal open-source license is due soon.
When the foundation began its GPL revamp, it planned to release a final "last call" draft by January 15 and the GPL 3 itself "no later than March 2007." Now, however, Executive Director Peter Brown isn't willing to pin down a firm schedule.
"We are still working on the last-call draft, and I hope that we will get that out within the next two or three weeks. Beyond that, we haven't made any decision about the final release date," Brown said.
A wrinkle emerged in November with a patent and technology partnership between Linux seller Novell and Microsoft. Under the deal, Microsoft agreed not to sue Novell Linux customers for patent infringement. (The complex deal also involves patent-related payments going in both directions, joint marketing, and Microsoft sales of Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Server.)
"Certainly, that has occupied our minds," Brown said.
"It's a good thing that Microsoft did this now, because we discovered that the text we had written for GPL version 3 would not have blocked this. But it's not too late, and we're going to make sure that when GPL version 3 really comes out, it will block such deals," Stallman said.
I think the concerns of RMS and the FSF may result in a license that few will want to use.
They (RMS, Eben, FSF) can do anything they want, but the B Committee members who are working with them to refashion the GPL must be having second thoughts, especially in light of the last statement in this article - the so-called Novell/MSoft killer clause.
I urge that the new license remain open to (not thwart) the possiblity of similar relationships. It is best for the industry and the license itself.
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They (RMS, Eben, FSF) can do anything they want, but the B Committee members who are working with them to refashion the GPL must be having second thoughts, especially in light of the last statement in this article - the so-called Novell/MSoft killer clause.
I urge that the new license remain open to (not thwart) the possiblity of similar relationships. It is best for the industry and the license itself.