So given that I was linked to for my post about WordPress themes being GPLed, I thought I’d elaborate on my position about the GPL. In the case of WordPress themes – I don’t particularly mind. It’s their software, and if they don’t want theme developers selling themes under a non-GPL license it’s their decision. Don’t like it? Write your own blogging software and license it under whatever license you like (or contribute to Serendipity, which is already BSDed).
In general, I prefer BSD/MIT style licenses to the GPL though, when it comes to releasing my own code. The BSD license is short, to the point, and most importantly I understand it to a much greater extent than most developers who slap a GPL on their code understand the GPL.
I feel like any potential employer is more likely to let me spend my paid time on an open-source project if it’s BSD licensed and relevant to their interests… they can take my code and put it in a product without releasing the source if they so choose.
I also feel that the BSD-style licenses don’t stifle contributions any. The old saying goes that a company that rips of a GPL library and puts it in their product certainly isn’t going to contribute anything back for fear of outing themselves. However there are quite a few commercial projects surrounding the BSD camps which not only give code back, but actively contribute to the development… there are companies out there that use (for example) FreeBSD so much that they hire people who are BSD developers.
Granted, the same situation happens with some GPL software as well… but it’s certainly harder to convince the dollars-in-their-eyes guys that it’s a valuable investment. Some businesses that use Open Source software see the investment that one of their staff members’ time comes back in improved software on which their business is run – some don’t, they want tangible property… modified code which they feel they invested in and can possibly have some return on. However keep in mind that these two situations aren’t particularly license dependent, however in the second situation the company doing the hit+run is less likely to contribute any code back to the community if the project is GPL and they use it in a product illegitimately.
On the whole though, I don’t shy away from GPL software simply because it’s GPL. I have a long-standing grievance with Linux in that it just doesn’t feel comfortable to me like FreeBSD does – it has nothing to do with the licenses involved and everything to do with naming conventions and hier(7).
In the case of WordPress themes, I’m on the fence. I don’t think it’ll be the end of the premium theme trade by any stretch of the imagination, it just changes a few things.