EchoVNC 2.35 important update

Hello! Version 2.35 of EchoVNC for Windows is now available:

http://www.echogent.com/download_echovnc.htm
or
ftp://ftp.echogent.com/EchoVNC/windows/bin

This version includes 3 minor updates, one major one:

* Repaired Viewer connection box behavior
* Repaired .vnc file behavior
* EchoWare DLL repairs for large connection groups
* Removed Java Viewer capability from the server

About that last one...It has come to our attention recently that one of the EchoVNC features we inherited from our port of legacy VNC platforms has become the basis of a recent patent infringement lawsuit(1).

I have given the lawsuit details only a superficial review, and I am hardly qualified to determine anything regarding patent infringement, patent validity, timeliness, or how the patent holder's grant of a GPL license relates to the issue. However, in my personal opinion, the lawsuit appears to be regarding a patent that teaches a method whereby a remote desktop server (e.g., a VNC server) delivers a Java Viewer applet to a Viewer-side user via an HTTP connection.

In my understanding, this capability exists in the source code that is still available under a GPL license from the patent holder themselves(2). And while it has been argued that "users and modifiers of GPL’d software have at least an implied license to use patented inventions included in the GPL’d software"(3), in order to eliminate any possible risk of damages to the patent holder, I have decided to de-feature that legacy capability from future versions of EchoVNC, starting with the latest release, version 2.35. I politely request that all EchoVNC users update your installations to this latest version.

Please note that this feature in *no way impacts* the distinctive, value added feature of EchoVNC, namely its "firewall friendliness" via the use of the echoWare toolkit. None of that changes, and isn't affected in any way by this update. Also, EchoVNC will of course remain open-source and GPL'd, as it always has been.

Again, please do not mistake this letter for legal advice. I am not a lawyer, and do not even play one on TV. :) I am hardly the person that can analyze the obtuse claim language of this patent and determine whether or not it actually reads on what I'm sure many of you consider to be legacy, totally ordinary VNC software capabilities that is still available from the patent holder under a GPL license. If those details ever get worked out, perhaps the feature will come back in a future release.

I apologize for the inconvenience, and am happy to discuss any concerns you might have about this decision. While we at Echogent are strong supporters and contributors to the open-source software community, we also remain respectful of worldwide intellectual property laws.

regards,
Scott Best
EchoVNC project coordinator

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LogMeIn
(2) ftp://ftp.tridia.com/pub/gpl/TridiaVNC_1_5_15_win32src.zip
(3) http://www.fenwick.com/docstore/Publications/IP/Patent_Rights.pdf