The title is "Why I GPL", so one would expect the stuff in the article to explain why he's using GPL. But I agree with GP, much of it does not. To be clear, Zed Shaw creates a lot of cools stuff, and if it was up to me I would hire him in a second :) But that doesn't make this piece any good..
> Even though everyone was using my software, the vast majority of firms using Mongrel were startups
GPL is not going to fix that, it might actually make it worse as many companies don't like the GPL
> The last thing a startup wants to admit is that they don’t own their intellectual property
Maybe, but GPL is not going to fix that
> They want everyone, especially the VCs and investors, to believe that they’re all geniuses who “innovated” everything they run
GPL is not going to fix that
> When I looked around, companies had no problem admitting they used Ruby on Rails, hell that probably got them their funding
GPL is not going to change that
> What I didn’t see was them saying they used anything else, which meant that when I would try to get work, it was impossible for me to explain the magnitude of Mongrel’s impact
GPL is not going to change that, as you can still use it without telling anyone..
> To them it was just some simple web server that their system administrator had to use
GPL is not going to fix that
> After Mongrel I almost need companies to have to admit they use my software
GPL is not going to fix that
> I would actually rather nobody use my software than be in a situation where everyone is using my gear and nobody is admitting it
GPL could make this worse, but probably not.
> Or worse, everyone is using it, and at the same time saying I can’t code
What? who's saying that? :'(
Honestly, it looks like Zed should hook up with someone that could help him monetize his awesome work.
> Even though everyone was using my software, the vast majority of firms using Mongrel were startups
GPL is not going to fix that, it might actually make it worse as many companies don't like the GPL
> The last thing a startup wants to admit is that they don’t own their intellectual property
Maybe, but GPL is not going to fix that
> They want everyone, especially the VCs and investors, to believe that they’re all geniuses who “innovated” everything they run
GPL is not going to fix that
> When I looked around, companies had no problem admitting they used Ruby on Rails, hell that probably got them their funding
GPL is not going to change that
> What I didn’t see was them saying they used anything else, which meant that when I would try to get work, it was impossible for me to explain the magnitude of Mongrel’s impact
GPL is not going to change that, as you can still use it without telling anyone..
> To them it was just some simple web server that their system administrator had to use
GPL is not going to fix that
> After Mongrel I almost need companies to have to admit they use my software
GPL is not going to fix that
> I would actually rather nobody use my software than be in a situation where everyone is using my gear and nobody is admitting it
GPL could make this worse, but probably not.
> Or worse, everyone is using it, and at the same time saying I can’t code
What? who's saying that? :'(
Honestly, it looks like Zed should hook up with someone that could help him monetize his awesome work.