Re: [PLUG] ELF Init section

[Dave Turner <novalis@novalis.org>]

gabriel rosenkoetter wrote:
> Oh well, just one
> more justification for all the folks who say that Theo is just a
> megalomaniac blowhard (as if more reasons were needed after the
> recent IPF fracas).

What are you talking about?  Theo's handling of the IPF thing was
*great*!  Everyone thought that Darren Reed had used a BSD-like license
for IPF.  Reed was stupid - he wrote his own license, instead of getting
a lawyer to do it.  As a result, the license did not say what he meant
(what it actually said is unclear).  He changed the wording of the
license, and the new wording did not fit OpenBSD's guidelines for
inclusion in their system.  So, Theo removed it.  I don't see how anyone
could blame Theo for this - he believes that the freedom to distribute
modified versions of a piece of software (without special permission
needed) is more important than having this one piece of software in
their distribution.  

Now, I can see getting upset at Reed for changing the language of the
license.  Here's why:

1. He did not in the past correct people who were under the impression
that it was BSD-licensed.  Now, copyright law doesn't require this - but
common courtesy does.
See e.g. this thread:

http://false.net/ipfilter/1999_12/0055.html

And of course, Open, Free, and Net BSDs distributing modified versions
w/o any problems.

Now, the original license seemed to allow modification - I base this on
two things, which I have marked with _s :

"Redistribution and use in source _and binary_ forms are permitted
provided that _this notice is preserved_ and due credit is given
to the original author and the contributors."

1. Allowing redistribution in binary form is already allowing derivative
works - the original is distributed only in source form.

2. Removal of the notice would constitute modification - the existence
of this phrase implies that other modifications are allowed.

So, it can definately be argued that Reed's new license is a change in
meaning.  

-- 
-Dave Turner
------------------------------------------------------------------
"So don't think in terms of the size of the whole job.  Think in terms 
of the piece that you're going to do.  That will show people it can be
done, and so others will do other pieces." -Richard Stallman, 4/19/01



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