new license to review

[Tim Pierce]

On Fri, May 07, 1999 at 07:14:40PM -0000, bruce at perens.com wrote:
> > No modifications to Server Identification Field. You agree not
> > toremove or modify the Server Identification Field contained in the
> > ResponseHeader as defined in Section 1.6 and 1.7.
> 
> I'm concerned about the _precedent_ here, which could be used to enforce a
> more rigid adherence to some communications protocol or API in _another_
> _license_.  For that reason, I'd suggest that OSI stay away from this form
> of license clause.

Can you be more specific?  What sort of license clause exactly should
we steer clear of?  In general I think I agree that a license which
restricts the behavior of derivative works is not really free, but on
the other hand the GPL does the same thing:

    c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
    when run, you must cause it, when started running for such
    interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an
    announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a
    notice that there is no warranty ...

This requirement doesn't really bother me, but it would be nice if we
could quantify what kind of restrictions on software behavior are
permissible in a free software license.

-- 
Regards,
Tim Pierce
RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative
system obfuscator and hack-of-all-trades