Re: [Slashcode-general] licensing issues information?

[Michael V. B. <mlv...@th...>]

On Fri, Aug 24, 2001 at 08:49:31AM -0400, shane wrote:
> Is there a website or other online resource that
> explains all the different licenses available, and the
> issues that come with each?

Links to several such pages (allow for bias in each case):

http://sourceforge.net/docman/display_doc.php?docid=778&group_id=1

> I've got a number of plugins written, or atleast
> being written. I plan to put them all out at no cost
> because slash itself is free (atleast the calendar
> and photo gallery plugins).

That would be great -- I too need a calendar plugin.  I hope that my
employer will allow me to release a plugin that I created for work.

> But, I've got a wife, home, kids, and a small
> side business. I don't want to endanger any of them
> by using the "wrong" licensing to put some of these
> out for use and have some idiot come after me
> because he accidentally rm -f'd his drive while installing one
> of my plugins.

Any license that you find will have a disclaimer clause.  If you release
something into the public domain, however, there is no disclaimer.

> And I honestly don't know what license I would do
> best by going with.

I suggest using a simple license so that you know what you've done.
Whatever you do might accidentally default to the GPL if it used with
Slash, but you might consider the value of your code outside of Slash.
Some licenses such as the MIT one will allow other people to relicense
your code (possibly under the GPL), but still protect against lawsuits.

-- 
# -- Michael Van Biesbrouck,      mlv...@th...
:b^Js/\(.*\)\(,.*\):\1\(.\)\([a-z]*\)\(.\)r\(:.*\)>\3/\4\2:\1\3\4\5r\6\5>/
s/\(.*\)\(,.*\):\1\(.\)\([a-z]*\)\(.\)l\(:.*\)\(.\)>\3/\4\2:\1\3\4\5l\6>\7\5/
s/>$/>0/^J/^halt/!bb