Re:WWW and the GNU GPL (Score 1)

Microsoft uses GPL code, Sun, AOL, the US government, put your favorite fortune 500 company here. If I GPL a web browser it does not mean every web browser has to be GPL'ed only that web browsers that use my code need to be. A compeating web browser need not employ any of the GPL code and may release under a non-gpl licence. Having the programs GPL'ed does not impead the use of the standards behind them. A new licence would have to be crafted in order to make a standard GPL like since the GPL refers only to software (note there is a seperate licence for releasing documentation in a GPL like way). The web would not be much different today had its components been GPL'ed. For the most part the web's components have been developed as if they were GPL'ed (source staying in the open). The rare exception to this was up until recently (with the release of Mozilla) web browsers which because of its proprietary start is plauged with incompatibilities, even with strong standards in place.