But if having glanced at GPL source code prevents implementing similar functionalities in an entirely different language, that's a pretty darn strong argument for me to never look at GPL code again.
Not according to the lawyers who have advised us GNU Octave developers to never read Matlab source code.
You're free to read whatever you like. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.
No, the SFLC works pro-bono.
> You're free to read whatever you like.
I wish that were true, but many current laws say otherwise. You do not sound like you are aware of those laws, so I take it you're not a lawyer. You're just hoping the world is as free as you say it is. I wish it were too, but we have to be pragmatic and work in the world we have while we strive for the world we want.
But you don't need to protect yourself. You're legally allowed to read stuff and write something similar. Just don't copy it.
> I wish that were true, but many current laws say otherwise
I'm going to disregard this statement (and it's conspicuous lack of citations) because you're not a lawyer :)
> You're just hoping the world is as free as you say it is.
No, I'm just reading Wikipedia:
Clean room design is usually employed as best practice,
but not strictly required by law.
I'm not a lawyer, and I don't really know who's right in this thread, but I'd find any citations you have really interesting to read.
So you ask, how can I the holder of meagre so-called "Computer Science PhD", comprehend the the holy (and unspeakable) knowledge of those who have spent an unimaginable three years studying law? Who am I to question our very gods? Well, sir, I give you "The Wikipedia":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_room_design#Examples
Perhaps we should have it destroyed for spreading the "unspeakable" knowledge, rightfully known only by our lawyer-priests and spoken amongst them in their own tongue.
I was going to respond to the wikipedia article, but I'm realizing that would be a waste of my time. Good luck with your crusade against the almighty lawyer-priests.
There are plenty of lawyers who are also software people. For example, DannyBee[0] or rayiner[1] on HN.
That's why people are asking you if you're a lawyer like them; they have interesting perspectives and experience in both fields.
But no, it sounds like you're just a software guy who's read a wikipedia article like the the rest of us.
So, please, stop.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DannyBee [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=rayiner
This is only an issue if your derivative work is under a different license.