Assuming your question arises from a state of ignorance, rather than from rhetorical flourish
It is quite clear to me that the parent's intention was to challenge the ritualistic "Why not MIT/BSD?" type of argument. It is the author's prerogative to decide which license the software should be under. While I use permissive licenses for my work usually, I see the merit in GPL licenses and might even switch back to it at some point. They serve different goals, and I suspect that in future we're more likely to converge towards GPL-like licenses.
GPL protects the rights of independent developers better than permissive licenses; and as software development becomes more accessible, we're likely to see more work pocketed off by companies without giving due credit, or even entirely forked off. GPL clearly recognizes that companies will not give back unless required by the law. If we're to have a fairer and more decentralized (political) power distribution, we need the protections of the GPL.
If I could flick a switch to turn all OSS projects to GPL, it'll impact the entire industry in a good way. OTOH, changing everything to permissive licenses will have absolutely no impact.
'It is quite clear to me that the parent's intention was to challenge the ritualistic "Why not MIT/BSD?" type of argument.'
It seems plenty possible, hence my explicit note that I was assuming otherwise. It doesn't seem clear - I've encountered people asking that question honestly and I tried to give an honest answer. To the degree that I'm a partisan in this discussion I am pro-GPL, but I think it's worth acknowledging the legitimate points raised by reasonable people on the other side.
Comments
It is quite clear to me that the parent's intention was to challenge the ritualistic "Why not MIT/BSD?" type of argument. It is the author's prerogative to decide which license the software should be under. While I use permissive licenses for my work usually, I see the merit in GPL licenses and might even switch back to it at some point. They serve different goals, and I suspect that in future we're more likely to converge towards GPL-like licenses.
GPL protects the rights of independent developers better than permissive licenses; and as software development becomes more accessible, we're likely to see more work pocketed off by companies without giving due credit, or even entirely forked off. GPL clearly recognizes that companies will not give back unless required by the law. If we're to have a fairer and more decentralized (political) power distribution, we need the protections of the GPL.
If I could flick a switch to turn all OSS projects to GPL, it'll impact the entire industry in a good way. OTOH, changing everything to permissive licenses will have absolutely no impact.
'It is quite clear to me that the parent's intention was to challenge the ritualistic "Why not MIT/BSD?" type of argument.'
It seems plenty possible, hence my explicit note that I was assuming otherwise. It doesn't seem clear - I've encountered people asking that question honestly and I tried to give an honest answer. To the degree that I'm a partisan in this discussion I am pro-GPL, but I think it's worth acknowledging the legitimate points raised by reasonable people on the other side.