[NTLUG:Discuss] Gov funded GPL'd code

[Rick Cook]

On Friday 01 June 2001 22:44, Lance Simmons wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 01, 2001 at 10:05:23PM -0500, Rick Cook wrote:
> > [...] the US government should fund work for products that are
> > _necessary_ for the US government to perform its functions
> > [...] If, in the course of doing this, a product of general
> > use happened to appear, it might be reasonable for it to put
> > that product in the public domain.[...]
>
> Who is going to decide which such products might, when put in
> the right hands, help contribute to something generally useful?

Usually some PHB or Security Dweeb...

> could) be of general use? And why should the government bother
> setting up an elaborate procedure for deciding, when the
> products could simply all be GPL'd (with appropriate exceptions,
> etc...)?

Based on the time I have invested in government funded system development (25 
years), I would estimate that 90-95% of the development would fall in the 
"appropriate exceptions" bucket.


Rick
-- 
rcook at ntlug.org
rcook at hex.net