[License-review] For Approval: NASA Open Source Agreement 2.0

[Engel Nyst]

On 07/09/2013 08:38 AM, Luis Villa wrote:
> I know of no precedent where "request" would have
> anything other than the plain language meaning you'd expect it to
> have.
> 

PortAudio license in its current form[1] reads: "The text above
constitutes the entire PortAudio license; however, the PortAudio
community also makes the following non-binding requests".
The previous version's license[2] has changed this text from a license
condition: "Any person wishing to distribute modifications to the
Software is *requested* to send the modifications to the original
developer so that they can be incorporated into the canonical version."

Indeed, to me the previous version reads clearly the "request" as
license condition.
Which is why (I assume) the current version language attempts to make
clear that it's not legally binding. I don't know the background of
PortAudio community and license, the comparison of the contents is very
clear though.

I would note, the NASA agreement text also reads to me as license condition.
I'm not sure why exactly it would be there if it's not meant as
condition, or it can be very explicitly delimited as not part of
conditions. Obligatory note: IANAL.


[1] http://www.portaudio.com/license.html
[2] http://www.portaudio.com/docs/portaudio_h_v18.txt