Re: [OFFTOPIC] Apple and GPL (was: Emacs CLA requirement)

[Alexandre Garreau]

Le mercredi 16 juin 2021, 15:25:14 CEST Stefan Monnier a écrit :
> > Yes, that is what I mean. They just stopped updating e.g. bash, so
> > they
> > didn't have to use the GPLv3 license. Why, I too never understood.
> 
> IIUC it's fundamentally because poor little Steve Jobs was traumatized
> when he was forced by the GPL to release the source code modifications
> to GCC that added support for Objective C.
> 
> Exactly how that early-life trauma with GPL<3 turned into a paranoia
> about GPL≥3 is still somewhat unclear, tho.

that makes me think also: copyright assignment also would give the right 
to emit exception to lessen copyleft in certain cases if it was ever 
needed to make people more free.  For instance Apple devices usually makes 
tivoization the unavoidable default, so you can’t possibly legally install 
emacs, gcc and glibc on them.

So the current change will make sure that gcc and glibc won’t ever be able 
to use their software on certain devices which don’t respect user freedom 
enough.

On one side it is positive that they cannot be used to market freedom-
deprieving devices, on the other side if someone already owns a such 
device and cannot get another one, a exceptional allowance to get a freeer 
software including a full-featured copylefted programming language would 
give them more freedom.  This is a tradeoff FSF never made, but now never 
will be able to do anyway.