Re: [libreplanet-discuss] WTFPL Worse License Ever?

[Yoni Rabkin]

Mark Holmquist <mtraceur@member.fsf.org> writes:

> On 12/18/2015 05:39 AM, Julien Kyou wrote:
>> This pisses me off "Choose Freedom." "Probably the best license out there"
>>
>>  >Copyright (C) 2004 Sam Hocevar <sam@hocevar.net>
>>  >
>>  >Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim or modified
>> copies of this license document, and changing it is allowed as long as
>> the name is changed.
>>  >
>>  >>meaning only this document not the licensed materials
>>  >
>>  >DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE TERMS AND >CONDITIONS FOR
>> COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
>>  >
>>  >0. You just DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO.
>>  >>so basically closing the source is ok?
>>  >
>>
>> wtfpl.net <http://wtfpl.net>
>>
>> I just learned of the existence of this licenses 30 minutes ago, so
>> sorry if its not news.
>
> What's bad about the WTFPL?

It used to be a lot worse before the FSF reviewed the license. Before
that GPL Compliance Lab, where I volunteer, would get questions from
people asking whether it's even a real license. That means that this
joke license (and other joke licenses) force people to deal with
licensing issues instead of writing software. Now just imagine, when you
are in a board-room in a non-English speaking country trying to convince
skeptical people who don't understand American culture to use free
software, joke licenses make you, and the entire software freedom
movement, look like a bunch of immature kids playing around:
http://yrk.rabkins.net/2014/05/28/the-culture-post.html

-- 
   "Cut your own wood and it will warm you twice"