From: <jm...@we...> - 2007-01-31 15:16:15
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Just wanted to apologize for my message of yesterday, I think the idea=20 of "subterfuge" got me started. What makes me feel bad is that there is=20 the open-source people, the shareware people and the big companies...=20 and what I'm seeing is the big companies using open source to drive the=20 small guys into the ground... IBM pushes open source, Google pushes open=20 source, Intel too... And then, in between the expensive and the free,=20 there is no space left to make a living for people starting up. But at the end of the day, you guys came up with the code, you're free=20 to do whatever you want with it. I'll try and be more productive next time I chime in ;) Keep up the good work! --=20 Jerome Muffat-Meridol LRPS - http://www.webphotomag.com - the online magazine about photographs, not cameras- JD Smith a =E9crit : > On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:04:47 +0100, J=E9r=F4me Muffat-M=E9ridol wrote: > > =20 >> I meant to stay away from this discussion, after all I haven't=20 >> contributed anything yet... >> But from what I read, I think I'll stay away from this library. You gu= ys=20 >> know your subject really well and this library is most probably the ma= in=20 >> reference on the subject. So, it would seem like a logical package to=20 >> look at for any application that wants to do anything remotely related= =20 >> to panoramas. >> =20 > > I don't mean to scare anyone off, and I have only contributed a few min= or > suggestions and a sprinkling of code to PanoTools, so obviously my > thoughts are my own. However, I think you'll find that the main > contributors are all decent people, who just want the license they > contribute under respected. It's as simple as the old school yard adage= : > if you take, give back. > > =20 >> But then, if there is any chance that the software could make a penny,= =20 >> then the use of your library might simply jeopardize the whole busines= s.=20 >> This last comment about what constitutes a subterfuge and what doesn't= =20 >> is very scary, I bet that if you pay your lawyer enough, then any use = of=20 >> panotools (even through fork/exec) could be presented as a subterfuge=20 >> and the "offending" software would have to fall into open source. >> =20 > > Those are RMS's words, not mine, but they do point out that getting > around the license with technical arguments isn't productive. It's > not productive legally, but moreover it's not productive for the > community. > > =20 >> I'm worried that such a lawyer might even sue people doing similar=20 >> features who would have learned the techniques from reading your code. >> =20 > > The only intent here is to respect the terms of the license, which > aren't that extreme. They don't, for instance, prohibit anyone from > making money off the library (nor should they, IMO). This is not some > vague and ominous "Intellectual Property" cloud such as the one iPix > had hanging over this field for years (and which no doubt someone else > will take up as soon as they buy the rights to that IP at the yard > sale). There is no patenting of software ideas, no control over how > you use the software, no "protection money" racket if you build it > using >180 deg images, etc. It's truly simple: if you want to use the > code to make your program, you must contribute your addition under the > same license, or follow the rule of using fork/exec to keep them > separate. That's really it. > > =20 >> Some people can afford to donate their time, some people can't. I woul= d=20 >> have hoped that you guys would be able to find a less hardline positio= n=20 >> where, for example, those who make money out of linking panotools migh= t=20 >> contribute some $ to help run the initiative. After all, non-profit=20 >> doesn't mean no-income. >> =20 > > People who donate their time to GPL projects typically do it because of > the sense that they are contributing to a greater good, that their > contributions will remain open and free, and that others who add to > their improvements will donate those improvements back in kind. > There's nothing sinister about it. That's what motivates me in the > free software projects I contribute to. > > > > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------= -- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share= your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys - and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=3Djoin.php&p=3Dsourceforge&CID=3D= DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > PanoTools-devel mailing list > Pan...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/panotools-devel > > =20 |