Like everyone else here, I've benefitted from the vast libraries of free source code available at CodeGuru, SourceForge, The Code Project etc.... and I've even supplied modules of my own for others to use FOC. Free source modules, generally, are beneficial to developers IMHO. But....

Developers are developers and users are users. I sometimes wonder if the Free Software Foundation (and others like it) encourage the view that software users shouldn't have to pay for software - or that piracy is somehow okay. A few days ago I was looking at the GNU license agreement. It allows me to use GNU licensed source code in my own apps and I can even charge a fee for selling the apps.. The downside is that I must subsequently make available all the source code for any apps where I incorporated the GNU code. To me, this is self-defeating. It practically guarantees that GNU licensed code will only ever be used by amateurs (amateurs in the literal sense - i.e. those programmers who don't make their living by selling their programs). As a 'professional' programmer I couldn't afford to give away my source code. Many of my apps have security features - in fact, some are sold via an annual license. No way am I going to give away source code that would allow my customers to crack the security. I need to eat and pay the mortgage, like everybody else!

I guess the answer is simple.... don't use GNU source code in my apps. But what do other CodeGuru members think about free licensing agreements - especially agreements like the GNU license which, in my opinion, is too onerous to be of much practical use....?