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Donnie Berkholz wrote: |
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>>Could someone plz point me to those words in new version which cause all |
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>>the troubles? |
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> |
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> |
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> OK, let me lay it out as concisely as possible. |
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> |
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> 1) XFree86 license 1.1 _requires_ attribution with other third-party |
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> attributions. |
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> |
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> 2) This requirement is an additional restriction beyond what the GPL |
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> itself restricts. |
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> |
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> 3) The GPL prohibits any additional restrictions. |
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> |
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> From these three points we conclude: |
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> |
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> 4) The XFree86 license 1.1 is incompatible with the GPL. |
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So the only problem with this whole mess is that the XFree people want |
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us to give them credit in the same place and mannar as we already give |
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other third parties credit? |
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XFree86, pending a replacement, is the only thing giving Linux any |
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credibility as a desktop operating system. Therefore, I would say it's |
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rather an integral part of the acceptance of our distribution and OS as |
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a whole. As such, I wouldn't think a one-liner in a README, INSTALL, or |
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product literature is such a Big Stinking Deal. |
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It's not like they're making the software non-free, they're not |
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demanding royalties, they're not prohibiting the software from being |
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distributed, they're just asking for due credit. |
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Think of it from their point of view; when some Joe Schmoe starts up X, |
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they see what - KDE or Gnome. What do they think is providing them a |
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GUI? KDE or Gnome. They don't realize that underneath these environments |
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is a hard-working old man spewing 2D/3D rendering instructions to their |
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video cards and keeping the windows from falling off the screen. All |
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they want is a small heads-up. Is that so wrong? |
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I'd really like a point-by-point dissection of the objectionable license |
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changes so we can see the exact reasons why it's unacceptable. Thus far |
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here, other distribution mail list archives, and even on the LKML all |
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I've seen is vague accusations that XFree86 is "no longer free" and |
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"unacceptable" for inclusion/distribution. |
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Thank-you in advance for helping us understand a potentially |
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earth-shattering situation over which we seem to have no control. |
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-- |
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Stewart Honsberger - http://blackdeath.snerk.org/ |
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To teach is to learn twice. |
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-- Joseph Joubert |
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-- |
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gentoo-dev@g.o mailing list |
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