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+<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
+<!-- Parent-Version: 1.77 -->
+<title>The GNU GPL and the American Dream
+- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
+<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/gpl-american-dream.translist" -->
+<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+<h2>The GNU GPL and the American Dream</h2>
+
+<p>by <strong>Bradley M. Kuhn</strong></p>
+
+<p>
+When I was in grade school, right here in the United States of
+America, I was taught that our country was the &ldquo;land of
+opportunity&rdquo;. My teachers told me that my country was special,
+because anyone with a good idea and a drive to do good work could make
+a living, and be successful too. They called it the &ldquo;American
+Dream&rdquo;.</p>
+<p>
+What was the cornerstone to the &ldquo;American Dream&rdquo;? It was
+equality&mdash;everyone had the same chance in our society to choose
+their own way. I could have any career I wanted, and if I worked
+hard, I would be successful.</p>
+<p>
+It turned out that I had some talent for working with
+computers&mdash;in particular, computer software. Indoctrinated with
+the &ldquo;American Dream&rdquo;, I learned as much as I could about
+computer software. I wanted my chance at success.</p>
+<p>
+I quickly discovered though, that in many cases, not all the players in the
+field of computer software were equal. By the time I entered the field,
+large companies like Microsoft tended to control much of the technology.
+And, that technology was available to me under licensing agreements that
+forbid me to study and learn from it. I was completely prohibited from
+viewing the program source code of the software.</p>
+<p>
+I found out, too, that those with lots of money could negotiate different
+licenses. If they paid enough, they could get permission to study and learn
+from the source code. Typically, such licenses cost many thousands of
+dollars, and being young and relatively poor, I was out of luck.</p>
+<p>
+After spending my early years in the software business a bit downtrodden by
+my inability to learn more, I eventually discovered another body of software
+that did allow me to study and learn. This software was released under a
+license called the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL). Instead of
+restricting my freedom to study and learn from it, this license was
+specifically designed to allow me to learn. The license ensured that no
+matter what happened to the public versions of the software, I'd always be
+able to study its source code.</p>
+<p>
+I quickly built my career around this software. I got lots of work
+configuring, installing, administering, and teaching about that software.
+Thanks to the GNU GPL, I always knew that I could stay competitive in my
+business, because I would always be able to learn easily about new
+innovations as soon as they were made. This gave me a unique ability to
+innovate myself. I could innovate quickly, and impress my employers. I was
+even able to start my own consulting business. My own business! The
+pinnacle of the American Dream!</p>
+<p>
+Thus, I was quite surprised last week when a vice president at Microsoft
+hinted that the GNU GPL contradicted the American Way.</p>
+<p>
+The GNU GPL is specifically designed to make sure that all technological
+innovators, programmers, and software users are given equal footing. Each
+high school student, independent contractor, small business, and large
+corporation are given an equal chance to innovate. We all start the race
+from the same point. Those people with deep understanding of the software
+and an ability to make it work well for others are most likely to succeed,
+and they do succeed.</p>
+<p>
+That is exactly what the American Way is about, at least the way I learned
+it in grade school. I hope that we won't let Microsoft and others change
+the definition.</p>
+</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
+<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
+<div id="footer">
+<div class="unprintable">
+
+<p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to <a
+href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>. There are also <a
+href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and other
+corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a
+href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
+
+<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
+ replace it with the translation of these two:
+
+ We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
+ translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection.
+ Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
+ to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org">
+ &lt;web-translators@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
+
+ <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
+ our web pages, see <a
+ href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+ README</a>. -->
+Please see the <a
+href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations README</a> for
+information on coordinating and submitting translations of this article.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Copyright &copy; 2001 Bradley M. Kuhn</p>
+
+<p>Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
+permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is
+preserved.</p>
+
+<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
+
+<p class="unprintable">Updated:
+<!-- timestamp start -->
+$Date: 2014/04/12 12:40:09 $
+<!-- timestamp end -->
+</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+</body>
+</html>