Apple acquired CUPS
It seems that Apple acquired CUPS, the Common UNIX Printing System.
Every time I get news like this I tremble. A big commercial company acquiring a project licensed under GPL makes me wonder what will change. This is not exactly a philosophical doubt about software licenses. Ok, I think about the license but what concerns me the most is what will happen to the software package I use for free and take for granted. :)
I'm also thinking if it will get any better (or worse) since many advocate that software made by commercial companies are generally better. I haven't find any proof for this but the fact is, well paid people usually are more motivated to work better. But some (me) could also say that people that do what they really like and really want to do are even more motivated. Deadlines imposed by marketing departments may make some companies release "unfinished" software. Not properly tested and without every feature the programmer had thought as important for security reasons or interoperability. Programmers that do what they want when they want will probably release more often when it's really ready.
Every time I get news like this I tremble. A big commercial company acquiring a project licensed under GPL makes me wonder what will change. This is not exactly a philosophical doubt about software licenses. Ok, I think about the license but what concerns me the most is what will happen to the software package I use for free and take for granted. :)
I'm also thinking if it will get any better (or worse) since many advocate that software made by commercial companies are generally better. I haven't find any proof for this but the fact is, well paid people usually are more motivated to work better. But some (me) could also say that people that do what they really like and really want to do are even more motivated. Deadlines imposed by marketing departments may make some companies release "unfinished" software. Not properly tested and without every feature the programmer had thought as important for security reasons or interoperability. Programmers that do what they want when they want will probably release more often when it's really ready.
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