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<title>The X Window System Trap |
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- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> |
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<div class="article reduced-width"> |
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<h2>The X Window System Trap</h2> |
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|
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<address class="byline">by Richard M. Stallman</address> |
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<p> |
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To copyleft or not to copyleft? That is one of the major |
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controversies in the free software community. The idea of copyleft is |
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that we should fight fire with fire—that we should use copyright |
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to make sure our code stays free. The GNU General Public License (GNU |
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GPL) is one example of a copyleft license.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Some free software developers prefer noncopyleft distribution. |
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Noncopyleft licenses such as the XFree86 and |
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<a href="/licenses/bsd.html">BSD</a> licenses are based on the idea |
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of never saying no to anyone—not even to someone who seeks to |
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use your work as the basis for restricting other people. Noncopyleft |
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licensing does nothing wrong, but it misses the opportunity to |
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actively protect our freedom to change and redistribute software. For |
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that, we need copyleft.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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For many years, the X Consortium was the chief opponent of copyleft. |
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It exerted both moral suasion and pressure to discourage free software |
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developers from copylefting their programs. It used moral suasion by |
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suggesting that it is not nice to say no. It used pressure through |
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its rule that copylefted software could not be in the X Distribution.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Why did the X Consortium adopt this policy? It had to do with their |
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conception of success. The X Consortium defined success as |
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popularity—specifically, getting computer companies to use the X |
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Window System. This definition put the computer companies in the |
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driver's seat: whatever they wanted, the X Consortium had to help |
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them get it.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Computer companies normally distribute proprietary software. They |
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wanted free software developers to donate their work for such use. If |
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they had asked for this directly, people would have laughed. But the |
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X Consortium, fronting for them, could present this request as an |
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unselfish one. “Join us in donating our work to proprietary software |
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developers,” they said, suggesting that this is a noble form of |
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self-sacrifice. “Join us in achieving popularity,” they said, |
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suggesting that it was not even a sacrifice.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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But self-sacrifice is not the issue: tossing away the defense that |
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copyleft provides, which protects the freedom of the whole community, |
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is sacrificing more than yourself. Those who granted the X |
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Consortium's request entrusted the community's future to the goodwill |
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of the X Consortium.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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This trust was misplaced. In its last year, the X Consortium made a |
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plan to restrict the forthcoming X11R6.4 release so that it would not |
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be free software. They decided to start saying no, not only to |
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proprietary software developers, but to our community as well.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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There is an irony here. If you said yes when the X Consortium asked |
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you not to use copyleft, you put the X Consortium in a position to |
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license and restrict its version of your program, along with the |
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code for the core of X.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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The X Consortium did not carry out this plan. Instead it closed down |
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and transferred X development to the Open Group, whose staff are now |
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carrying out a similar plan. To give them credit, when I asked them |
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to release X11R6.4 under the GNU GPL in parallel with their planned |
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restrictive license, they were willing to consider the idea. (They |
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were firmly against staying with the old X11 distribution terms.) |
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Before they said yes or no to this proposal, it had already failed for |
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another reason: the XFree86 group followed the X Consortium's old |
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policy, and will not accept copylefted software. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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In September 1998, several months after X11R6.4 was released with |
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nonfree distribution terms, the Open Group reversed its decision and |
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rereleased it under the same noncopyleft free software license that |
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was used for X11R6.3. Thus, the Open Group therefore eventually did |
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what was right, but that does not alter the general issue.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Even if the X Consortium and the Open Group had never planned to |
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restrict X, someone else could have done it. Noncopylefted software |
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is vulnerable from all directions; it lets anyone make a nonfree |
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version dominant, if he will invest sufficient resources to add |
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significantly important features using proprietary code. Users who |
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choose software based on technical characteristics, rather than on |
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freedom, could easily be lured to the nonfree version for short-term |
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convenience.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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The X Consortium and Open Group can no longer exert moral suasion by |
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saying that it is wrong to say no. This will make it easier to decide |
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to copyleft your X-related software.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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When you work on the core of X, on programs such as the X server, |
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Xlib, and Xt, there is a practical reason not to use copyleft. The |
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X.org group does an important job for the community in maintaining |
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these programs, and the benefit of copylefting our changes would be |
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less than the harm done by a fork in development. So it is better to |
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work with them, and not copyleft our changes on these programs. |
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Likewise for utilities such as <code>xset</code> and <code>xrdb</code>, |
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which are close to the |
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core of X and do not need major improvements. At least we know that |
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the X.org group has a firm commitment to developing these programs as |
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free software.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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The issue is different for programs outside the core of X: |
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applications, window managers, and additional libraries and widgets. |
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There is no reason not to copyleft them, and we should copyleft them.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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In case anyone feels the pressure exerted by the criteria for |
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inclusion in the X distributions, the GNU Project will undertake to |
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publicize copylefted packages that work with X. If you would like to |
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copyleft something, and you worry that its omission from the X |
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distribution will impede its popularity, please ask us to help.</p> |
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<p> |
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At the same time, it is better if we do not feel too much need for |
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popularity. When a businessman tempts you with “more |
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popularity,” he may try to convince you that his use of your |
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program is crucial to its success. Don't believe it! If your program |
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is good, it will find many users anyway; you don't need to feel |
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desperate for any particular users, and you will be stronger if you do |
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not. You can get an indescribable sense of joy and freedom by |
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responding, “Take it or leave it—that's no skin off my |
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back.” Often the businessman will turn around and accept the |
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program with copyleft, once you call the bluff.</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Friends, free software developers, don't repeat old mistakes! If we |
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do not copyleft our software, we put its future at the mercy of anyone |
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equipped with more resources than scruples. With copyleft, we can |
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defend freedom, not just for ourselves, but for our whole |
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community.</p> |
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