[License-discuss] proposal to revise and slightly reorganize the OSI licensing pages

Rick Moen rick at linuxmafia.com
Mon Jun 11 22:20:12 UTC 2012


Quoting Tzeng, Nigel H. (Nigel.Tzeng at jhuapl.edu):

> Again, whatever your self identification is, your comment and statement
> are those espoused by one of those camps over the years.

No, they most certainly are not.  Kindly do not confuse me with some
bunch of ideologue wankers.  

> What was the value of this observation?

That differently licenced derivatives in compliance with your
requirements are seen as OK if proprietary and hence shut off from 
sharing under the same terms, but not OK if copyleft and hence shut off
from sharing under the same terms -- which seems to me a prime example of
failing to grasp _either_ of the two basic facts about copyright law and
software I mentioned to Ben Tilly:  (1) People can and do perform pretty
much whatever screwball actions they wish to perform with their own
property.  (2) You should take care to understand all of the
implications of any licence you use, because somebody else definitely
may, and you'll look really silly acting surprised.

Permitting any derivatives satisfying 2-clause, 3-clause, or 4-clause
obligations means permitting _any_ derivatives satisfying 2-clause,
3-clause, or 4-clause obligations.  If licensor didn't intend that,
then licensor shouldn't have chosen the licence.

_Unlike_ ideologue wankers, I have no wish to urge any particular
licensing on anyone, and regard with particular distaste those who do.
(In the general case, it involves someone else's property and is not
really my concern at all.)  As I very clearly stated upthread, I regard
licences as legal instruments to implement the licensor's intentions.
The intentions should logically dictate owner's licensing strategy: the
only real tragedy is when people fail to understand their chosen
licensing's natural and obvious consequences.

I do feel no obligation to prove to you the 'value of this observation'.
It suffices to me that it is correct to the best of my ability to
determine, and relevant to the subject.

Sorry you didn't like it.  Have a nice day.

> Yes, disingenuous. 

I have no time for someone who gratuitously accuses me of bad faith --
and also no interest in arguing with you in the first place.  Kindly
go bother somebody else.  Thanks.





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