support requirement

[bruce at perens.com]

Vendor X plans on releasing software as Open Source. X makes a number
of very interesting and useful research-derived programs, and also runs
an ISO-9000-certified software development shop. Their ISO certification
requires that they run only supported programs, and thus the development
shop is prohibited from running the output of their own research
department. Thus, one of X's _main_goals_ in making the software Open
Source is that commercial vendors pick it up and _provide_support_ for it.

Thus, their license requires that if you distribute a derived work of their
program _and_ you provide support on reasonably comparable programs,
that you provide support for their program too. The provision has no effect
on organizations like Debian that don't provide support.

This is currently the stumbling block for X's license being Open Source.
Any ideas, folks?

	Thanks

	Bruce