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On Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 11:33 AM, Amadeusz Żołnowski <aidecoe@g.o> wrote: |
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> |
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> And this is probably the case when user has to accept a license on the |
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> website. This is URL for zip archive of yEd-3.9.1: |
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> |
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> http://www.yworks.com/en/products_download.php?file=yEd-3.9.1.zip |
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> |
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> It directs to website with license text, check-box for accept and |
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> download button. If check-box is not set, following message is shown: |
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> |
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> "In order to download yEd, it is necessary that you first accept the |
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> license terms." |
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> |
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> If check-box is set, client is redirected to the page with actual link to |
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> zip archive. |
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It turns out the vendor is lying - you can download it fine without |
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accepting the license from: |
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http://www.yworks.com/products/yed/demo/yEd-3.9.1.zip |
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No doubt the vendor WANTS users to accept the license first, but it is |
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not "necessary" from a technical standpoint. |
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> |
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> Moreover, I have had email conversation with yWorks representative and |
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> he says that installation files need to be obtained manually by the end |
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> users from their website. |
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> |
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Again, they likely intend for them to be obtained in this manner, but |
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the word "need" is not true from a technical perspective. |
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This brings up a debate that was recently held over deep-linking in |
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bugzilla over a math library. The trustees never took a final vote |
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since the maintainer decided to just implement RESTRICT=fetch. The |
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issue there was about more than just copyright, however, and the trade |
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regulations around munitions do not apply in this case. |
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I don't think we have clear policy around this situation. I see our options as: |
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1. Set RESTRICT=fetch because upstream wants us to and we like to cooperate. |
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2. Set RESTRICT=fetch because even if legally they're on shaky ground |
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upstream could probably waste a lot of our time and money. |
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3. Set RESTRICT=mirror because legally we think we have the right to |
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do so, and want to stand for our principles and make life easier for |
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our users. |
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|
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The potential upstream responses to doing #3 might be to do nothing, |
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to not like us, to sue us, or to not use a fixed URL to distribute the |
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file so that we have to restrict fetching for technical reasons. |
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Do we as a matter of policy want to respect broken click-through |
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download implementations? |
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|
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Rich |
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