RE: Linus about GPL x BSD(long)

> The GPL does not prevent you from putting the license of your 
> choice on
> your own code. What it does prevent you from doing is taking other
> people's code and putting a license of *your* choosing on 
> *their* code.

That is not really, true. Nobody can put another license on somebody
elses code GPL or not.

As I have tried to explain before it is entirely possible to
use a GPL work without ever distributing it.

And as we all agree on the GPL claims your work that uses the
GPL work regardless of whether you actually distributing the GPL work.

So nobody is trying to change the distribution terms of the GPL:ed work.

It is the GPL that tries to change the distribution term of
some other work. Not the opposite.
 
> And unlike the 'weak copyleft' licenses it also ensures that 
> you cannot
> use workarounds like putting your code in a separate library 
> and modify
> the GPL work so that it is unusable without your library.

It tries to ensure that, yes. Whether copyright law really allows
this is not yet decided. See below.
 
> I really don't understand how you can expect everyone to 
> license *their*
> code in such a way that *you* can do whatever you want with it. Not
> everybody is going to put his code in the public domain or 
> the X11/BSD.
> And what's wrong with that! Your rants sound like you want to 
> strongarm
> everyone into doing so.

What is reasonable to expect is that the license clearly defines what
it covers and what it does not. Futhermore even if the license doesn't
copyright law itself should clearly define it by limiting it scope.

I don't think the GPL itself can be reformulate to make it more clear
so the principal limit must be copyright law.

So the big question is still:
Can you both have the cake and eat it as the GPL tries to do?

Trying to limit the scope of copyright law or for that matter
just trying to predict the law will not allow the viral aspect
of the GPL doesn't make anybody bigoted.

> You are just as much a bigot as Stallman!

I wouldn't consider Stallman bigoted, just naive.
But then perhaps that is what all bigots in truth
really are.