[ThePythonicCow]

That's a reasonable two line summary.

Linus started Linux with a license that said two things:

1. Share and share alike - you must share your changes with others, and
2. You must provide your changes "free", as in beer - no cost.

Within a few months, he picked up the GPLv2 license, which he found to be a good expression of (1), and he dropped (2). Since then, GPLv2 has continue to be a remarkably solid and trouble free expression of (1).

Now Stallman is determined to add constraints on the use of software, so that it can't be used for something like Tivo, which includes hardware cryptographic constraints that let only a Tivo signed operating system be loaded. Stallman doesn't like such crypto constraints and other Digital Rights Media (DRM) locks, and is trying to get a license that prohibits use of Free Software Foundation (FSF) software on systems with such crypto constraints, unless the crypto key is made public.

The FSF holds copyright to much of the free software that we depend on, including the compilers and classic Unix utilities. Stallman intends to change the license on that software from GPLv2 to GPLv3. Linus predicts that this will fork these projects - with many of the key developers on them continuing to work on the GPLv2 licensed variants.

The Linux kernel has its copyright held by the 100's of original authors (including my employers copyright on some code I wrote.) There is no practical way that the license on that software could be changed, without great effort to get the agreement of many companies and people. And the current key maintainers, starting from Linus on down, are publically committed to keeping the GPLv2 license on the Linux kernel. So, unlike the FSF copyright software, such as compilers and utilities, the Linux kernel will without doubt continue under its current GPLv2 license.

Linus's basic position on DRM and TIVO-like closed hardware is that he doesn't like it - but it's no damn business of his or his kernel. A key element of the success of Linux is that you can use it for what you will, including things that Linus finds abhorrent. It is very clear from the GPLv2 license that it is just imposing the "share and share alike rule", not other rules such as "anti-TIVO" or "anti-DRM" rules.

[kevkrom]

Stallman intends to change the license on that software from GPLv2 to GPLv3. Linus predicts that this will fork these projects - with many of the key developers on them continuing to work on the GPLv2 licensed variants. The Linux kernel has its copyright held by the 100's of original authors (including my employers copyright on some code I wrote.) There is no practical way that the license on that software could be changed, without great effort to get the agreement of many companies and people. And the current key maintainers, starting from Linus on down, are publically committed to keeping the GPLv2 license on the Linux kernel. So, unlike the FSF copyright software, such as compilers and utilities, the Linux kernel will without doubt continue under its current GPLv2 license.

And, just to point out the obvious, it is impossible to retroactively change a license, so anyone with software using an existing GPLv2 license can continue to use and develop it just like today.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

That's what I thought.

I'm not a big fan of DRM either, but Stallman clearly has issues.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Very nice exposition - thanks!

[Echo Talon]

well if linux wants to play nice they will have to accept the DRM like ecreyone else, LOL

[bigdcaldavis]

So in a nutshell, Stallman basically betrayed the very Free Software Movement he started up in the first place? Sounds like the Vince McMahon angle where he brought the NWO to the WWF.

Vince McMahon: I’m not gunna let Ric Flair kill my creation! If anybody’s gonna kill my creation, it’s ME! I’m gonna INJECT a LETHAL DOSE of POISON! Me, and, the N-W-O.

:)