BSD-like licenses and the OSI approval process

[Matthew Flaschen]

Chris Travers wrote:
>>Encouraging projects to change to an approved license is a useful
>>way of reducing license proliferation.

> I don't think that point is going to go anywhere.

You're missing the point.  It already has.  Project developers /already/
look to OSI when they choose a license.  OSI wants to limit the number
of items they choose from.  The more licenses that are
approved/certified/etc. the more they have to choose from.  This results
in more license proliferation, and less code reuse.
> I personally do not htink that the OSI can at once try to equate lack of
> approval with a lack of being open soruce and at the same time tackle 
> the license prolieration question as you have described.  These are mutually exclusive goals and at best we can only
> seek balance.

OSI officially saying unapproved license are "Open
Source/OSI-Certified/OSI Class X" will not help license proliferation.
It will be easier to get a new license certified...so there will be more
new licenses.

Matt Flaschen