[OSM-talk] Why the BSD vs GPL debate is irrelevant to OSM

[Ulf Lamping]

Frederik Ramm schrieb:
> Hi,
> 
> Ulf Lamping wrote:
>> I'm thinking of OSM data as the geodata "source code".
> 
> Yes but that's precisely the misconception I wanted to remove with my post.
> 
> How many Linux users look at, or work with, the Linux kernel source 
> code? Is it 0.001% or rather 0.0001% or even less?
> 
> In contrast, how many OSM users will load OSM data into some kind of GIS 
> program or rendering engine, combine it with something else or analyse 
> it or run processing methods on it? Granted, not *everyone* does it, but 
> the number of people doing it is orders of magnitude above the number 
> for, say, GPL software!

Well, you are comparing different situations.

The first time I was using Linux (1995?), I was just forced to recompile 
the kernel each time I was doing a non trivial configuration change. You 
had to change the sources here and there, apply some patches and what 
not. Virtually everyone using Linux was a kernel hacker one way or the 
other.

Now Linux is matured over several years and most people don't care about 
patching the Linux kernel any more. Some people interested are still 
working on the kernel, but most simply use it.


If all goes well, OSM will follow that path. Currently we see the first 
steps towards this, by Garmin users simply loading precompiled maps on 
their Garmins and just go out.


So with the current situation you are right that a lot of people 
"working directly with OSM data". However, in a few years from now, you 
will probably be called an "OSM kernel hacker" if you're doing so.

Regards, ULFL