Fedora Desktop future- RedHat moves
Da Rock
rock_on_the_web at comcen.com.au
Thu May 1 01:35:15 UTC 2008
On Mon, 2008-04-28 at 13:35 -0400, max bianco wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 11:47 AM, Matthew Saltzman <mjs at clemson.edu> wrote:
> >
> > On Mon, 2008-04-28 at 10:41 -0400, max bianco wrote:
> > > On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 12:23 AM, Les Mikesell <lesmikesell at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> >
> > > > Which is a bizarre thing to be concerned about because the only thing they
> > > > could possibly do to diminish the value of the original copy would be to
> > > > improve it so much that no one would want the original. As a potential user
> > > > of that improved version, I think that restriction is a bad thing. And most
> > > > bizarre of all is the notion that I can't obtain my own copy of a GPL'd
> > > > library, and someone else's code under their own terms separately.
> > > >
> > > The hard work is done by the original author. So if I understand you
> > > correctly, its ok with you if i use your code, improve it, and
> > > relicense it so what you freely contributed is now going to cost you
> > > money. So your hard work now belongs to someone else.
> > >
> >
> > I don't think anyone is talking about modifying your code and
> > relicensing it. That would clearly be a derived work, and there's no
> > question you can impose conditions on its redistribution.
> >
> > You write a library. I write a program that calls routines in your
> > library. Now the question is whether your license can impose conditions
> > on my distribution of my own code. That's a fuzzy, gray area, but (to
> > mix a metaphor) it's just the tip of the iceberg of complexity.
> >
> > ChipCo creates a piece of specialized hardware and releases a
> > proprietary driver. I write code to interface your library and the
> > ChipCo driver. Can your license prevent me from distributing my code?
> > If so, you and I might have a reasonable disagreement about whether
> > that's a good thing. But you can't deny that some people who might
> > benefit from my code (and by extension, your code) are prevented from
> > doing so. You can only argue that some greater good is served by their
> > suffering. Note that I want to be generous with my code and release it
> > under an open-source license; I'm not trying to unfairly benefit from
> > your work.
> >
> > You write a library and distribute it under an open-source license. I
> > write a library and distribute it under a slightly different--but
> > incompatible--open-source license. Les writes a program that links to
> > both libraries. If your license can impose conditions on Les's
> > distribution of his program, then users who would get value from Les's
> > program are SOL. Note that nothing here violates the spirit of OSS.
> > Everyone involved wants to be generous. Nobody is trying to unfairly
> > benefit from anyone else's work. But due to a technicality, nobody can
> > benefit from Les's work at all! That seems like a shame, doesn't it?
> >
>
> Yes it does but what then is the answer?Everybody argues that A is
> right or B is wrong or c....you get the idea. What is the solution?
> Let's stop going over the same ground and come up with some kind of
> solution. The end user is ultimately the only one that matters, i
> think everyone can agree on that, if the end user cannot get their
> work done then everyone suffers, so what should we as end user's
> do?should i have to pay for a brand new office suite when nothing
> substantial except the companies desire to support it has changed?That
> is an example not a way to drag M$ into this, so please lets leave the
> M$ bashing where it belongs. this will of course create another debate
> but at least we will subtly change the content of the conversation.
I agree - a solution needs to be found. But then, this is what the heart
of this whole thread has been about: legalities of linking different
licenses. And Fedora and a minority of users has taken a stand on one
side of this issue. Will they condescend to a level where an agreement
can be reached?
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