i don't mean they may merge, but consider:
the BSD licence allows people to take (and modify if they wish) BSD code and shove it in with their own code. They can then use the code in any way they like, yes? so they can distribute binaries only, they can charge for them and so on. The idea is that if BSD can be got for free anyway, that'll check the balance and it won't run away with itself.
The GPL however states that the source code comes with the binaries, if binaries are provided at all. with GPL, everybody has a right to see the exact source code for whatever anybody is running. And the modified code must assume the licencing conditions of the original code (the GPL) So people cannot redistribute any modified code without including the actual source code. They can sell it, they can provide binaries, but they must allow the source code to be freely distributed as well, if there's any GPL stuff in there.
This would seem like an easier model to negotiate when it comes to copyright and intellectual property.
SO: let's take this example...
I get all the BSD code i can find, from all four versions of BSD, and i make my own shitkickin' muthafuckin' version of BSD that i love with it's own superflash installer program and tons of cool stuff, which i can do because i got all the source code for free. THEN i release it onto the market and call it 'FabBSD' or 'KickassBSD' or something, and i sell it for $99 or whatever, providing only precompiled binaries for whatever system i want it to run on. THIS is legal as far as i can see.
SO: let's rewind a bit, i still have my shitkickin' muthafuckin' version of BSD, but instead of only distributing binaries and charging whopping amounts of bread for other people's work (which seems to be the acceptable way of doing it...) I decide "NO! I have a conscience" so i decide to release my new BSD under the GPL.
I still sell it, and i still make a mint, except that i distribute my code, and people make tons of great chenges and fixes really fast which make it kick even more shit and fuck even more muthas than before! Also, any variant of this 'AceBSD' code will also be GPL, but it will a lot of it be able to run natively on other versions of BSD as well!
anybody could legally do this tomorrow as far as i can see, and within months the BSD and GPL communities would have effectively been brought leagues further towards each other, and there would be a GPL version of BSD out too...
Have i missed something? because that seems legally sound to me.