DOS ain't dead

DOS email clients? (Users)

posted by kerravon , Ligao, Free World North, 13.10.2025, 17:46

> A little correction. Georg didn't do the initial port of FLTK to DOS. It
> was done by the author of XD640 himself in early 00s:
> https://web.archive.org/web/20040812050018/http://www.oksid.ch/fltk-dos/index.html
>
> Georg's version from 2010s was an update of that version and conversion to
> Fltk 1.3.
>
> The original project was licensed under BSD license, so Georg was free to
> modify the programs without sharing the source. If the dev chose GPL
> instead, we would now have the source to update Flmail and OpenSSL on our
> own.


Or - more likely - you would not even have access to the binary.

The GPL is an attempt to force someone - in this case Georg - to
do something he apparently doesn't want to. You can email him
and ask him why, and try to convince him to change his mind,
but there is a very good chance he will stick to his original
position - like almost everyone in the world does.

Attempts to force people to do things - in this case - write free
code and release the source code - since that's what "all good
people" would do (and it's always better if it is "someone else"
who does that good deed) - tend not to work. Marx thought that
was possible too. It doesn't end well. And the middle is completely
atrocious. Only the beginning is inspiring. This doesn't just
apply to code. Have you ever tried following Jesus's "pacifism"?
I tried it once. Didn't end well either. Both are junk philosophy.

I personally steer clear of modifying GCC because of the GPL,
and I am instead spending an enormous effort to try to replace it.
I make the minimal possible changes to GCC to get around some
immediate issues, but that's it. You can't ignore this other
aspect of what happens when you think you're in a monopoly
position to force others to do your bidding.

Complete thread:

• DOS email clients? - Karen, 21.11.2023, 04:50 (Users)
  • DOS email clients? - mceric, 21.11.2023, 10:26
    • DOS email clients? - SuperIlu, 21.11.2023, 21:45
      • DOS email clients? - Karen, 22.11.2023, 01:36
        • DOS email clients? - mceric, 22.11.2023, 12:47
          • DOS email clients? - iw2evk, 03.12.2023, 13:48
            • DOS email clients? - glennmcc, 03.12.2023, 18:05
            • DOS email clients? - bocke, 29.12.2023, 22:02
              • DOS email clients? - bocke, 05.01.2024, 17:11
                • DOS email clients? - bocke, 30.09.2025, 13:38
                  • DOS email clients? - Rugxulo, 30.09.2025, 14:24
                    • DOS email clients? - bocke, 04.10.2025, 22:47
                  • DOS email clients? - kerravon, 13.10.2025, 17:46
                    • DOS email clients? - bocke, 17.10.2025, 00:15
  • DOS email clients? - turboblack, 13.10.2025, 16:20
  • DOS email clients? - bencollver, 13.10.2025, 16:55