alt Hacker NewsIf you prevent licensing software to large corporations, small corporations won't use it, either, because small corporations may get acquired by large ones. Such a license would be a "poison pill".
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
We picked the Boost license for the D Language Foundation because it is the closest to public domain we could find.
Besides, why would "bad guys" be deterred by a license, anyway?
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Exactly. Unreasonable conditions imposed on everyone to "solve" an ideological or societal matter impose externalities on bystanders. It's religious fervor not backed by honest appreciation of human nature or reality. While I don't like end-uses that exploit or harm others, there is no meaningful magic spell that can police usage of code gifts apart from not giving away anything and micromanaging every single invocation for moral purity.
Why isn't there a "if I like you you can use it"
I like you @WalterBright you can use any of my stuff even if you get acquired
Such a poison pill could be considered a feature insofar as it discourages consolidation of companies.
> Besides, why would "bad guys" be deterred by a license, anyway?
I imagine because we're talking about a subcategory of "bad guys" who still like to stay within the confines of the law (supposedly at least).