"Samuel Tesla" <samuel / alieniloquent.com> wrote in message
news:87el0xwxgx.fsf / alieniloquent.com...
> Daniel Carrera <dcarrera / math.umd.edu> writes:
>
> > Fair enough.  But the fact that the alternatives are not appealing to
you
> > does not make the GPL viral.
>
> I probably should have been clearer in my clarification ;)
>
> I actually think that viral isn't the best word, however I also think
> that even the adjective viral is really only meant as a metaphor.
> When people say the GPL is viral, they are refering to precisely the
> phenomenon I (and countless others) have identified: the fact that the
> GPL tends to spread based on people's desire to use the functionality
> provided by incumbent GPL'd code.
>
> Honestly, the analogy to a virus really ends there, imo.

It does end there; the "viral" analogy is really only a reference to how the
GPL attempts to replicate itself.  RMS *did* design the GPL to do this.  If
the GPL is, in fact, non-viral in nature, I believe RMS would be very upset
as I hear he doesn't accept failure well.

    Sean O'Dell