comp.os.os2.misc:3151 comp.os.os2.beta:136   
   From: "A.D. Fundum"    
      
    >>> OpenJFS is GPL, and so Mensys have to respect that,   
       
    > I don't know the history but /I believe/ IBM wrote JFS for AIX OS   
    > and it was then ported by IBM to OS/2. It seems like there are   
    > at least 2 branches of JFS IBM is involved with and /maybe/   
    > one additional one that's GPL.   
      
   As Dave already mentioned, there's a GPL one. Which means that at    
   least that version is actually "donated to the public domain". For one   
   because a GPL written in English, if relevant at all (it isn't), isn't   
   valid in many, many countries where English is not a(n official)    
   language, and there's no reason at all to assume/know the product    
   isn't free (I know eCS isn't free, no matter what an irrelevant    
   license reads). Please note a professional Dutch company, like Mensys    
   is, has to perform more checks than private people because they're    
   supposed to act professional.   
      
   If you want a GPL to be valid for Dutch people, it at least has to be    
   written in an official language (Dutch, or perhaps West Frisian in a    
   small area of Netherland). Now it's like some programmer  from Japan,    
   with no knowledge of any other language, wants to concur the world    
   with the made-up requirement (in Japanese) "Must send me postcard,    
   otherwise delete software". Why do people think that this is valid for   
   French people in France, not being able to speak Japanase?! It isn't.    
   Obviously. No need to hire a Japanese interpreter, hopefully not    
   expericiening the Paris Syndrome.   
      
   Appearantly there's a GPL version of JFS, so a version is actually    
   "donated to the public domain". Unconditionally. If English is your    
   official language and you think the GPL is perfectly valid (no, it    
   isn't), all it may take is a person in a non-English speaking country    
   to avoid this "problem". Nevertheless "respect" is an important word    
   here, but IRL a GPL doesn't exist. The American "Free Software    
   Foundation", not having any relation with me, does make things up.   
      
      
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