Re: OpenCog Concerns

From: gwern0@gmail.com
Date: Mon Mar 24 2008 - 21:45:41 MDT


On 2008.03.23 01:19:59 -0700, Edward Miller <progressive_1987@yahoo.com> scribbled 1.1K characters:
> I am wondering if it is possible to specify no
> military use in OpenCog's license. Certainly DARPA
> would love to get their hands on it if it is useful,
> and maybe we ought not to let them.
>
> This actually has been done before:
> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/14/1850219
>
> Please consider this.
>
> --- Matt Mahoney <matmahoney@yahoo.com> wrote:

It's an interesting suggestion but as Worley says, if the military-industrial complex actually wants it, they'll get it by hook or by crook (make the license obnoxious, and maybe they'll steal it, or just clone it - another excuse for patronage...). So it's unclear what actual benefit you'd get from doing such a thing.

And it'd have a quite real and significant cost (not even including the cost of relicensing): you would have instantly rendered OpenCog both non-Free and also non-open source, guaranteeing that no free/open repository, distribution, etc. will support it, and alienating many of the people who the project needs.

--
gwern
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