Compulsory checkin clauses.

[John Cowan]

On Sat, 5 Aug 2000, Ross N. Williams wrote:

> * A programmer discovers a bug and fixes it, but doesn't tell anyone!

The Linux vs (FSF and GNU) experience shows that the fewer formalities
are required, the more patches become generally available.

> * Two companies A and B in some market are competing. They both install
> some free software. Company A then modifies the free software to improve
> productivity, but it doesn't publish the change, so company B can't make
> use of the change to increase ITS productivity. [...]
> 
> * A company adds 10,000 lines to some free software to make it much
> better, but simply *couldn't be bothered* checking it in. After having
> spent $100K on improving the software, they say "Why should we waste
> a programmer day checking this stuff in just to help OTHER companies?".

There is a cost to keeping your patches under wraps, though, either out
of competitiveness or parsimony: you will have to reintegrate the patch
into the next release, and the next, and the next ....  Very quickly
you get sick of this and make the patch available to the owner/maintainer
so that you get it back for free in all future releases.

> I am under no illusions about the practical enforceability of these
> kinds of provisions,

Imposing unenforceable rules tends to provoke contempt for all rules,
and a worse observance of them.  See the U.S. Prohibition amendment.

> but I think it's a good idea at least to define
> what's required so at least people know.

Then use the language of recommendation or desire:  

	You are urged, but not required, to communicate all
	substantial patches to the copyright owner or
	current maintainer of the program.

That keeps the lawyers out while doing what hackers expect.

I tried to add some specific citations to esr's papers here, but
couldn't find the one I wanted, so I'll cite them generally:

	http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/

-- 
John Cowan                                   cowan at ccil.org
C'est la` pourtant que se livre le sens du dire, de ce que, s'y conjuguant
le nyania qui bruit des sexes en compagnie, il supplee a ce qu'entre eux,
de rapport nyait pas.               -- Jacques Lacan, "L'Etourdit"