Comment Re:Other free licenses (Should all info be free?) (Score 2) 403
Hi RMS. First off, I'd like to say, "Thank you", on behalf of all Slashdot readers. We are all indebted to your contribution to the software world. With that said...
Since being introduced to Free Software (like GNU/Linux) and to other software that undermines the control of information (like Napster or DeCSS), I have found the notion of information control--not just of software, but of all information--increasingly frustrating. The popularity of Free Software echoes this frustration: it points to a rising resistance against the control of information. Users everywhere are acting against licenses that dictate how information can be used after it has been acquired (whether gratis or for a fee).
My question is, "Do you (or would you like to) see a future where all information is as Free as GPLed software?" Should I be able to change the ending of, and redistribute, a best-selling novel? Should I be able to include any sample in my band's next song, royalty-free? Do you think that any information creators (authors, musicians, researchers, hackers, etc.) should have the right to restrict our use of "their" information once we have acquired it (beyond those controls applied by the GPL), or should a GPL-like license be the only one available?
