An open source project, Global Processing Unit, has just modified its General Public License (GPL) to include a no military use clause. GPU is a Gnutella client that provides an extensible framework for distributed computing on P2P grids. In other words, it allows computers to share resources. The license modification states, "The program and its derivative work will neither be modified or executed to harm any human being nor through inaction permit any human being to be harmed." Lead developer, Tiziano Mengotti says, "Open source operating systems can steer warplanes and rockets. [This] patch should make clear to users of the software that this is definitely not allowed by the licenser."
This announcement comes as Sue C. Payton, deputy undersecretary of defense, calls for the military to adopt open source initiatives. Payton argues, "Technological responsiveness and agility is all but impossible today, because much of the Department of Defense’s software, which is central to its operations, is bound up in proprietary systems."
Is GPU’s license change counter to the philosophy of open source? Will this become a hurdle as the military attempts to adopt open source models?
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