Ashton Mills29 September 2006, 3:26 AM
Linux creator Linus Torvalds has come out against the proposed GPLv3 free software licence, along with other kernel developers. One of the key bones of contention? DRM.
There's little doubt the GPL has changed the world and, while the current revision GPLv2 remains a staple among open source software, the proposed revisions in the GPLv3 could be about to change all that.
A recent poll of core kernel developers shows that many are against the revisions, claiming they will do more harm than good.
Key to the conflict is the suggestion that, for the most part, there's no solid ground for revamping the GPLv2. In a recent post to the Linux Kernel developers list (lkml.org), James Bottomley states:
"The current version (Discussion Draft 2) of GPLv3 on first reading fails the necessity test of section 1 on the grounds that there's no substantial and identified problem with GPLv2 that it is trying to solve."
It goes on to explain key conflicts, with a core concern being the use of DRM technologies being prohibited in products under the GPLv3.
The issue here is that even though the new GPL has the noble cause of protecting the freedom of individuals being limited with DRM, this is not actually a fight the FSF (Free Software Foundation) should be getting into.
Indeed, in a previous post to the LKML earlier this year Linus himself stated:
"We wrote the software. That's the only part _I_ care about, and perhaps (at least to me) more importantly, because it's the only part we created, it's the only part that I feel we have a moral right to control."
Linus has so far declared that, while the GPLv3 may be fit for other open source projects, that it's not the right license for the Linux kernel.
His sentiment is shared by other high profile kernel developers in a poll last week on the lkml, the results of which are posted here.
The poll shows an overwhelming disfavour towards the new GPL revision.
Of course the GPL is about more than just the Linux kernel; it's a dominant license for the majority of open-source software and it's this that the FSF is trying to encompass in its revision of the GPL to v3, while maintaining the spirit of the license, in a world where DRM and the patent licensing game are increasingly more prevalent.
We certainly don't envy them the task and the debate, no doubt, will continue for a while yet.
Free Software Foundation: gplv3.fsf.org