brnstnd@stealth.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) (05/05/90)
I've posted in alt.sources a first draft of a complete GPL alternative. I designed it with help from a lawyer, but I haven't gotten any paid opinions yet; if you have it reviewed, I'd love to hear the results--- for confidence if they're good or for improvement if they're bad. The basic difference is that a simple limited copyright replaces the license. There are a few minor semantic differences, meant to handle real-world cases better. And there's an explanatory file, WHY, posing and answering some questions. By the way, my future programs will also be placed under this copyright, except that I still prefer tight control over distribution of modified versions and have the copyright limitations simplified accordingly. As usual, I have neither the right nor the desire to control distribution of separately packaged patches, provided that they don't give away too much of my code on the fringes; but I want each installer to know what patches have gone into his version, so that I don't go chasing ghosts. ---Dan