[rbanffy]

> Even an open source license misses the point, because the implication is still that one person can dictate how another person can make use of knowledge

To be considered open source software, the license cannot impose any restrictions on how the software is used. You are free to use the software for whatever purpose you want.

[bornfreddy]

Absolutely not. Go read e.g. GPL license before spreading such falsehoods.

[kennywinker]

Nowhere in the GPL does it say how you can USE the software - you are free to run, modify, and use it any way you see fit. All its restrictions are triggered by DISTRIBUTION of the software, especially modified versions.

[bornfreddy]

The big gotcha is what one understands under the word "use". If I want to USE it as a basis for my business where I sell routers with the GPL software, there are some tiny restrictions regarding that, as Linksys learned [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenWrt (see History section)

[rbanffy]

That’s correct. You can’t take freedoms away from your downstream users. As I said before, violating a free software license usually means you are stealing from your users, negating them rights they ought to be given.

[NeutralCrane]

Distribution is a subset of use

[kennywinker]

That’s one semantic interpretation of “use”, but not the only or the obvious one.

For most physical objects and concepts, distribution isn’t a subset of use. e.g. the post office. You can be a user, but you have no ability to distribute the post office - because that’s not a thing that is possible or makes sense. In that case distribution is not a subset of use. Other examples: most saas, e.g. gmail. Good luck distributing gmail.

[rbanffy]

Please enlighten us.

[NeutralCrane]

There’s plenty of licenses that dictate that code can’t be used in commercial applications, or what kind of license derivatives can use.

[mathgeek]

This is the same “beer not speech” argument that has been going on for decades. A quick search will show you why your claim is incomplete.

[rbanffy]

Would you like to clarify how open source licenses restrict how you use the software?