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Comment by thechao | Hacker News Reader

Unless the GPl'd work provides a novel API that the GPL code implements; that has been tested in court. The API is protected, by copyright, and linking to that API requires the use of the API. That's why you can't just link to GPL'd code will-he–nill-he, without the possibility of serious repercussions.

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That phrase you're looking for is willy nilly. You did a bone apple tea.

Bone apple tea, with an em dash to boot

will (hypen-minus) he (en-dash) nill (hyphen-minus) he

Shakespeare had it as will he nill he in Hamlet:

> “If the man go to this water and drown himself, it is, will he nill he, he goes - mark you that.” (Hamlet.V.1)

Though I admit I didn't know this until I actually looked it up just now :)

“Will he nill he…” huh, I wonder if that’s the etymology of the modern expression. “Willy-nilly” just seems like a nonsense phrase. “Will he nill he” could be read as “will he or will he not,” right? It seems like only a couple short conceptual hops to go from “whether or not he decides to do something” to “look at all the random things he could do.”

I largely agree with you, but I can imagine a scenario where there is some connection to "Will he? Won't he?" semantically.

> Will he nill he…” huh, I wonder if that’s the etymology of the modern expression.

Well, that's at least what the internet told me, last time I checked.

I suppose I should have looked it up! For some reason I just looked up the definition of nill and tried to work out a plausible folk etymology from there.

API protected by copyright? Sounds like a judge somewhere dun goofed, that just makes no sense on the face of it. The specific IMPLEMENTATION of an API maybe, but not the API itself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_LLC_v._Oracle_America%2...

Yea, that seemed like a massive mistake even at the time. The interface binding code together doesn't strike me as work worthy of protection.

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