

MATLAB code relicensed under BSD license - skorks
http://www.aravind.name/matlab-code-relicensed-under-bsd-license

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fragmede
Misleading title; The code for Mathworks product, MATLAB is not being
relicensed. A previously GPL'd ".m" file is being forced to relicense as BSD
in order to stay listed on MathWorks' website.

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apgwoz
> This led me to express my frustration to my brother who makes his living
> writing proprietary software. After a lengthy argument, Yaadi Yaadi Yaaaa,
> he convinced me that BSD license is much more effective form of open-source
> license compare to the GPL for my particular case. Since I have no interest
> in maintaining my code anymore, it would be beneficial to release my code as
> a BSD license because there is a possibility that someone paid to write
> codes will maintain it (unlike me).

But, the GPL doesn't require that the original maintainer be the only one who
can maintain it, so I don't see how this is convincing. The GPL just says that
if you modify it and distribute it, you have to distribute your changes as
well. So, perhaps there's fragmentation, or whatever, but people are at least
obligated to contribute. The BSD license allows a company to take advantage of
all your hard work for it's own gain without requiring it be rereleased...
Fine I suppose, but I want contributions.

~~~
dantheman
If you want to use that code as part of a larger project then the GPL will
prevent you from using it at your job, whereas BSD will allow you to leverage
the code and you can still release your updates to community.

BSD is a truly free license, you give people to freedom to do whatever they
like.

~~~
apgwoz
Right. It is. But, what I'm saying is that BSD doesn't make it any more easy
for others to maintain than the GPL does, like the article suggests.

~~~
dantheman
It does, because as I said I can use it in a commercial product. If I find a
bug, or decide to add a feature or extend it I can release a patch back. If it
was GPL'd I wouldn't have been able to use it and thus the patches and
features would not have been released back.

