> It is a much more powerful statement in my view to provide work in a way that allows the entire world, (corporations included) to enrich themselves and educate themselves in an open and free manner.
That is the purpose of the GPL as well.
The GPL doesn't say that you have to be a free love hippie to use the software, in fact it says that everyone can use whatever.
What it does prescribe is that if you extract value from selling FOOS (not using, but distributing) you must play by the rules of FOOS. You can not sit on the sidelines and extract value without providing anything.
Nowhere does it say that you have to share my values. But if you sell my software you have to play by my rules, and that means contributing back.
I agree. The GPL is sort of a hack for people who don't believe in Copyright. In an ideal world, there would be no difference between GPL and public domain, but in our world the GPL forces people who use your code to behave as if everything were public domain.
That is the purpose of the GPL as well.
The GPL doesn't say that you have to be a free love hippie to use the software, in fact it says that everyone can use whatever.
What it does prescribe is that if you extract value from selling FOOS (not using, but distributing) you must play by the rules of FOOS. You can not sit on the sidelines and extract value without providing anything.
Nowhere does it say that you have to share my values. But if you sell my software you have to play by my rules, and that means contributing back.