[IAEP] Scratch license

[Bill Kerr]

I recently discovered, that MIT had changed the Scratch license from free to
non commercial

On reading the threads about the Squeak / Etoys / Debian issues then it
would appear to me that this will effect the distribution of Scratch on
Sugar to Debian at least, perhaps others

Tom Hoffman wrote in his blog on October 14th:
"Since it is un-free software it cannot be put in Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat,
or any other free software distribution. Can it be shipped on the XO? This
license *significantly* restricts the distribution of Scratch to children
around the world, and to what benefit?"
http://www.tuttlesvc.org/2008/10/scratch-goes-un-free.html

I don't understand MIT thinking on this issue and am concerned about this
potential block in the distribution of Scratch (my current preferred visual
programming teaching program). It was for these sorts of reasons that I
stopped using Game Maker (never open source, initially freeware but when it
became successful it went onto a commercial pathway)

What is MIT thinking on this issue?

also see
http://scratch.wik.is/Scratch_License
http://scratch.wik.is/Support_Previous/Scratch_License/License
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