Microsoft tries to prevent Free Software (Spiegel Article)

[Alessandro Rubini]

> Explain really well your conception of "persistent".

Persistent means that it remains attached to the software it
covers. The software, when released according to the GPL, cannot be
re-released according to a different license (the author can, but
that's a different issue, it's "different" software becuase it is a
separate act of publishing).

Everyone but the author can shuffle code around, but the GPL remains
attached to GPL code. If you want to release your code including GPL'd
code you must use the GPL for the whole. But this doesn't prevent you
from placing different license terms on your own parts. They are not
infected by the GPL part. Most programmers choose not to place
different license terms on the different files, but that's their
choice. I may write "this program as a whole is licensed according to
the GNU GPL, but the individual files that I wrote are placed in the
public domain".

> Explain why the term "hereditary" is not ok.

Because a hereditary gene is replicated transferred from being to
being and (if selected for a specific child) affects every cell of the
child; you can't use parts of the child that are exempt from that
specific gene. "hereditary" is a softer form of the "viral" idea.
While not associated to negative ideas it's associated to wide
dissemination to unrelated beings.

Hmm... actually, you hear much more of hereditary diseases than of
hereditary pros; so *some* negative idea is brought in by hereditary.

/alessandro