"clipka" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> nemesis <nam### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> But GPL says: If your product has *any* GPLed code in it, *all* the product
> software must be GPLed - every single byte of it. If you sell the thing, that
> is.

Not if you sell, if you distribute modified versions of it or software using it.
 It requires nothing from you if you code your whole software independently and
later calls optional GPL functionality from the outside, rather than as library
calls or code pasting.

More below.

> Take for example a ray tracing software. Say, I write my own raytracing software
> from scratch - except for the PNG library, which I don't bother to code all by
> myself. As far as my own code goes, I'd be happily willing to place it in the
> public domain. I cannot, however, because I need to GPL it for the sake of the
> PNG lib.
>
> Now someone else needs a raytracer that outputs HDR. He doesn't really care
> about PNG, but he takes that raytracing software I wrote (including the PNG lib
> I didn't write), and replaces the PNG code with HDR code written by himself from
> scratch. Let's for argument's sake assume that he, too, is perfectly fine with
> his work to be placed in the PD.
>
> So the product contains work from me, perfectly willing to place it in the
> public domain, and work from that other guy, who added the HDR code, and also
> perfectly willing to PD it. Nothing left of the PNG code which forced me to GPL
> the software.
>
> Nothing left? Hm... I had to release my code under the GPL. So if that other guy
> wants to distribute his software, he has to GPL it, too.

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#CombinePublicDomainWithGPL

You can put your software in the PD and later combine it with GPL and if someone
later wants the non-GPL version, just take the PD with no png one.

If I were you, though, I'd instead simply not link with libpng (is it really GPL
rather than LGPL?).  I'd write my app without png support, have a command-line
switch or some graphical option to render/export png and call a separate
utility program to read/write the png, say, imagemagick or one short of my own
I'd be willing to put under the GPL for libpng access.

You could of course also write a non-GPL png library to counter the evil
advances of the FSF. :)

> I do believe they believe in their ideals: Total domination of the "free
> software" idea over all the software market. I haven't seen any statement to
> the effect that they will be happy with anything less.
>
> From what I see, it's not a moral stance, but a religious one, and that makes me
> very uneasy about the FSF and GPL.

No, you're really uneasy because you think there'll be no more jobs for software
developers in a world made out completely of free software, whereas I see that
as an immense oportunity for much customization and software services using
very good free tools.

I don't see the end of software developer's careers happening by FSF's utopic
hands though, but by some future AI that renders us obsolete and a curiosity of
the past like blacksmiths.  On a second thought, it'll also render mankind
obsolete and we'll have far more worrying problems than lack of jobs, like
running for life or finding food and hidden caves big enough for everyone...

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