basic questions
Xavier Noria
fxn at hashref.com
Sat Feb 12 21:38:40 UTC 2005
While reading the OSI definition of Open Source I got a few questions
(I am not sure this is the right list to ask them, please if it's not
feel free to say so and redirect me elsewhere):
1. Free Redistribution
Since this condition explicitly talks about redistribution within a
software distribution that contains software _from different sources_,
my understanding is that it does not apply to redistribution of the
very software alone, as if I want to pass it to my friend. Is that
right?
If it was the case I don't see whether copying of the software itself
is covered in the definition, which surely signals some
misunderstanding on my side.
6. No discrimination about fields of Endeavor
Is there an example of a software that provides its source code and
does not satisfy this?
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
MySQL seems to restrict this _outside_ the license, as metaconditions
under which you can get a license for the database. But MySQL is one of
those paradigmatic Open Source programs, why that is not a
contradiction?
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral
Does this mean that an Open Source license cannot be presented by some
particular installation software so that the user is presented with an
accept button? Or does it mean that _the license wording_ says anything
about it?
If it was the latter, do you have an example of a license that mentions
some interface for its acceptance or some other violation of this
restriction? I've googled for "click-wrap" but didn't find an example.
(The more popular de product the better.)
That's all by now, although I bet more questions will arise the more I
think about it :-). Thank you!
-- fxn
More information about the License-discuss
mailing list