Need help picking a license.

[Lewis Collard]

> I have some software that we developed.  I would like to release it as
"Open
> Source".  I am happy to give it out without cost and would be happy to let
> others improve it.  The only thing requirement I got from the person who
> paid for its development was the need to track the users of the software.
> Since the code is all perl  the end user can see the software prior to
> sending me their free registration information.  The funding person is
okay
> with this.

> The tracking of users could be done by something as simple as the
./install
> script running a question that asks if the user would be willing to send
> their name.  If they say yes then they can proceed, if they say no then
they
> will get kicked out, but it's just perl...
>
> Any ideas on what OSI licenses this would conform to?  Does the
requirement
> to track users keep something from being open-source?

Making it a /requirement/ would probably disqualify it as open source.
Partly
because if it complied with the Definition, anybody could modify the program
to *not* kick them out. But as you suggest, you could just encourage people
(even programmatically) to send their name, etc, to your servers. If the
./install script (or similar) just asked them if they wouldn't mind sending
their name to your company, it'd be a whole lot less hassle (including on
your part), and you could license it under an existing open source license.
I'm sure very few people would object to just sending their name to your
company, I don't see a real need to make it a license requirement.

I wish you and your company the best  :-)

Lewis.

<disclaimer>Posted via non-open-source Outlook Express (I'm not on my
machine :-/)</disclaimer>


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