__/ [ Marshall ] on Tuesday 15 August 2006 13:47 \__
> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>> Open source project adds "no military use" clause to the GPL
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | That's intriguing enough, but the really interesting thing about GPU is
>> | the license its developers have given it. They call it a "no military
>> | use" modified version of the GNU General Public License (GPL).
>> `----
>>
>> http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/08/14/1438204
>
> I'm a practical person living in a world full of rogue predatory sharks
> and what helps to keep those sharks at bay is my countries military whom
> I trust. As much as I want to see OSS succeed, I will not for the
> foreseeable future agree with the stance of those that fixate on a
> unrealistic and badly timed ideal.
>
> I have not forgotten that the military is served by flesh and blood
> people that have families that they want to go home to in one piece.
> Everything that helps to that end is what I want them to have.
I have always feared the day when robots (not necessary
human lookalikes) will replace humans in the battelfield,
but also kill people who run them (think Terminator and
classical apocalypse films). If the robots are autonomous,
there is also the possibility of accidents--robots running
amuck shooting innocent bystanders. All in all, I hope some
legistlation bans military robots, but temptation leaves
little chance for this to ever become a reality. Think, for
example, about nuclear treaties and the end of the cold war.
Despite all, there are many countries that attempt to
harness the power of the hydrogen bomb. And returning to the
subject of fighting robots, I believe that the Japanese have
done some work in the area and maybe have some protootypes.
But I can't recall for sure... smart bombs are half-way the-
re. And for those who can't afford /smart/ bombs, there is
artificial intellgence -- a suicide bomber with a 'trigger'.
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