Draft 1 of the OpenDesk.com Public Source License

[Bruce Perens]

From: Wilfredo Sanchez <wsanchez at apple.com>
> What your game here?

Well, anytime I ask a reasonable question and the reply starts with "have
you hit your head, dude?", I grow suspicious. Maybe you shouldn't represent
Apple that way.

> We're not looking for free employees, despite your belief that you know
> something about our intentions and claims to the contrary.

Please go back and look for any representations I might have made about what
I think I know about your intentions and "claims to the contrary". I think
you'll find I said no such thing.

> What are you compromising?  Nothing; the code it theirs.  They  
> want to give you something, and you're saying that's not good enough.  

All of the Open Source projects are invitations for contributions from outside
developers. "The code is theirs" is thus fallacious, they are inviting us to
join in an _exchange_ of code. I counseled Netscape to use the GPL, and
accepted the NPL when they would not. That doesn't mean I should not counsel
the next guy to use the GPL as well.

It happens there is a desktop project from WorkSpot that's a good deal more
technically advanced than OpenDesk. It can display any X program running on its
server, using a small Java applet, and it includes an HTML desktop as well.
It is under the GPL, and OpenDesk is going to have a hard time as it is
competing with that. If they rule out the GPL, it's going to be even harder.

> You seem to want to take what they give you and use it to pry out  
> everything else they have with this GPL lever. 

Is this the old "the GPL is a tool to steal other people's code" argument?
I don't see where you get that.

> What I don't get is why you advocate open source and endorse  
> licenses for software than you aren't interested in.  If the GPL is  
> so great, why and an OSD and license approval at all?  Maybe you  
> should just ask everyone to use the GPL, toss out this other process  
> and see how far that gets you.

Fred, as long as you are representing Apple you should make a bit more
effort to form some undersanding of what other people here are doing.
I have put in _tons_ of effort on licenses from IBM, ATT, Novell, etc., all
without a dollar of compensation and at significant personal expense. I ask
all of these people to use the GPL because I think it's the best thing for them
to use, and then I help them arrive at the compromise that they can live with.
This does not mean that I should not point out when someone would lose nothing
from using the GPL or LGPL.

	Thanks

	Bruce