> In this particular case, if they're not GPL, they're more likely to be used for various *BSD systems and in a variety of embedded contexts.
This is a bit of a bugbear. The most common way to use the coreutils is through standard Unix pipes, which does not create a derivative work. I don't know of anyone who has found the copyleft of the coreutils prevents them from doing anything they would like to do. The situation with busybox and Linux is different, as the coupling there was much tighter, and without it we would not have OpenWrt.
I understand and agree with your particular assertions about copyleft and unix pipes, etc. but disagree that it's a "bugbear".
I know from experience some organizations are perfectly willing to contribute changes back upstream on MIT/BSD-licensed components, but avoid GPL components simply because of the additional constraints and potential liability concerns that have to be dealt with. Apple is a perfect example given the additional conditions of the GPLv3.
This is a bit of a bugbear. The most common way to use the coreutils is through standard Unix pipes, which does not create a derivative work. I don't know of anyone who has found the copyleft of the coreutils prevents them from doing anything they would like to do. The situation with busybox and Linux is different, as the coupling there was much tighter, and without it we would not have OpenWrt.