this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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AGPL evolved out of people saying, "my SaaS application isn't being distributed at all, it's just living on my server, so I can use your copy-left software without releasing my source alterations, and not violate the (GPLv2) license, because the license is based on distribution". If the Linux kernel itself went AGPL (which isn't what AGPL is even for), it would mean that modifications of the kernel would have to be published by whoever is doing the modifications, even if that kernel was only being used in a SaaS capacity, but most companies aren't modifying the kernel and then offering that modified software over the network, they're just running software on top of the upstream kernel, and AGPL higher up in the chain doesn't touch that software, just like the current Linux kernel GPL doesn't automatically apply to some python code you run on your Linux server.
Android, Amazon Linux, and IOS (the Cisco one) would just not move to the AGPL kernel (since you can't retroactively apply it to already-released kernels), and probably continue their own forks as totally separate as they already do.
But the 99% of companies who are just using stock Linux distros e.g. stock Ubuntu to run their SaaS applications wouldn't be affected. It definitely would not see the use collapse overnight.
But if each corporation forked their own kernel, after a few years of customizing the code to their needs, they would each be developing their own operaging system so all software would only run on company systems and would not be compatible with customer's systems.
No, their derivatives are not running on top of another person's OS, they are themselves the OS. Hardware doesn't make itself compatible with Linux, Linux makes itself compatible with hardware (by using or creating drivers). Those other companies do as well (or own the hardware stack as well, like Cisco).
My argument is if Linux goes AGPL3 which causes each company to fork the last GPL2 release, than after a few years of each company maintaining their own forked version, they will each evolve into their own operating system designed for their corporate software rather than all coporations using a single operating system that each develop their software to run on that OS.
But if they choose to develop on top of BSD then they will never be constricted by meaningless pointless software license.
I am an ISC supremaist for the sake of individual liberty.
This doesn't reflect how that works right now, though, nor how AGPL would affect most corporations.
You listed 2 companies (Cisco and Google) that maintain their own forked Linux versions (IOS and Android). Neither of those OSes are server OSes already. They're router and mobile phone OSes.
The other hundreds of thousands of companies don't even touch the kernel, and would not be affected. It would not change the landscape at all to move it to AGPL.
I can speak on Cisco's system or software, because I have always been suspicious of Cisco due to how massive they are, no company gets like that without dirty dealing underneath.
I don't think Google forks Linux, they use parts of the kernel, and there's also OpenBSD security code in Android as well.
While Google is evil and I will rejoice at the death of Google, I hope they are successful in their new OS to fully replace Android. I think it's called Fusia. Software development is always better then GPL code is stripped out and replaced.