No, his point was exactly why I don't believe that permissive licenses are any worse at perpetuating user freedom than coercive licenses like the GPL: when one feels coerced by a license, the option is to just not take it at all. Whereas with a permissive license, one is far more likely to take it initially, and then perhaps share alike afterwards.
Those who wouldn't share under a permissive license wouldn't accept the GPL to start with, so what additional user freedom can the GPL possibly create in the world that's not already there with permissive licenses?
You are speaking of feelings, I speak about facts and what's actually written in the license: the GPL forbids restricting the freedom to use, even when redistributing; the other licenses don't. This is a clear user freedom that is guaranteed by the GPL.
>This is a clear user freedom that is guaranteed by the GPL.
Yes, and that freedom is being guaranteed to fewer and fewer end users of GPLed software because of those feelings you're dismissing.
Linux is probably the success story for GPL, and even in that case Google has bundled it with proprietary software (Android now outnumbers all other operating system installs, IIRC). Yes people can make their own distributions, but they're for the most part irrelevant to 99% of users of Android devices. Probably 99.99% if you include people who never install Google proprietary apps (the Play Store; Google Maps; etc.) on their devices.
The point of GPL wasn't to serve the 1%, but to expand software freedoms to everyone. To start a revolution in software, and to supplant closed source and restrictive licenses. Look around, though; most people are ignoring what freedoms they are offered and basking in proprietary software options.
Open source is beautiful when it works. But freedom to redistribute something without value is about as relevant as debating whether a tree falling alone in a forest makes a noise.
Those who wouldn't share under a permissive license wouldn't accept the GPL to start with, so what additional user freedom can the GPL possibly create in the world that's not already there with permissive licenses?