Re: implementing reiserfs in C++ for a new OS

[mjt@nysv.org]

On Wed, Aug 11, 2004 at 10:10:16AM +0200, Dr. Giovanni A. Orlando wrote:
>
>>The reason Bell got his product pushed to the market was that he
>>could patent it first.
>False.

Why then?

Meucci did not have enough money to push it?
So Meucci had bad luck, that's life, unfortunately.

>Also this is false. Also the idea behind is copyright. This is the 
>invention and the copyright not the stupid code, in C or C++ ;-)

No it is not, at least not in Finland, and I'm pretty sure it's the
same in all Europe and/or other countries.

http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/tekoik/tekoik.html#mita

Unfortunately that's in Finnish...

"Tekijänoikeus suojaa teoksen kirjallista tai muuta asua, ei asiasisältöä."

Copyright protects the literary or other presentation of a work, not the
factual content.

"Teoksessa esitetyn tiedon tai mielipiteen voi tekijänoikeuden estämättä
esittää muualla omin sanoin."

The data or opinion in a work can be represented elsewhere in own words
without copyright preventing it.

"Tekijänoikeuslaki ei tällöin aseta edes vaatimusta lähteen ilmoittamisesta."

In this case copyright law does not even force you to give out the source.

Also http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/tekoik/tekoik.html#moroik

"Tekijänoikeuteen sisältyy myös ns. moraalisia oikeuksia."

Copyright includes also so-called moral rights.

"Niihin sisältyy, että teoskappaleissa tai teosta esitettäessä on tekijä
ilmoitettava (isyysoikeus) ja että teosta ei saa muuttaa "tekijän kirjallista
tai taiteellista arvoa tahi omalaatuisuutta loukkaavalla tavalla"
(respektioikeus) (3 §)."

They include that when presenting items of the work (I wonder if that means
more like copies of the work..) or the work the original maker must be
noted (paternityright) and the work may not be changed 'in a way that insults
the makers literary or artistic value or uniqueness' (respect right)

>I want to tell you more. In the year 2000, at Comdex. I introduce the 
>FTKernelConfigurator idea, my idea.
>I introduce to granroth and other people from KDE. Well, after some time 
>appears magically the kernel configurator
>inside the Kcontrol.
>I suppose they stole my idea, and for me is logical. I don't yet find 
>the time, to write the code for FTKernelConfiguator, but I will do.

Well, there is a certain orifice in the human body that you did not
want to hear on this list that may describe the guys in this case.

But they did not really do anything wrong. If you had really forbidden
them from doing this, they might not have done it, but it's always
reasonable doubt that they invented the idea themselves.

I have no idea what FTKernelConfigurator is supposed to do, but I gather
it's an interface for configuring the kernel?
Surely this is not an idea to be held sovereignly for oneself.

>I meet him before Comdex 2000. He comment to me a great true: "Don't 
>comment, or they will take".

Yeah, if you wan't to keep a secret, keep it secret.

>Easy.

Indeed.

>   * At first, the truth is ethrnal. It is not important how bastard 
>you are and how tricks you apply. The truth, is ethernal, is one, and never
>       can be overwrite. You can only hide the truth, temporarely.

Yes, but I fail to see how this applies exactly.
No one is trying to lie here.

If someone stole your idea, or implemented it before you, it's not
a lie.

It's also hard to steal an idea that you gave them first.

>   * At second, because here all is clear, public. I expect the minimal 
>respect that goes to the owner and inventor. It is a question
>      of class and necessary morality. The Stallman GNU Public License 
>warrants this morality to the owner.

I'm, of course, not against respect here.
But the respect should not be ordered by the law, it could easily
lead into the patent mess that reigns in the USA.

Respect should come from respecting someone else.

>   * The third and last point is that you can run in false mode, also 
>for years, and stole the software, the onwer will re-create
>      and will re-invent almost in ethernal mode. The movie 'Tron' 
>offers a nice underline mode to these facts.

I must confess I haven't seen Tron...

Sure, it's called competition.

Also most of the time if your secret leaks out, and it's an important
secret, it leaks out when you have developed it far enough that it's
stupid to compete with you.

It is also true that often secrets come in the way of advancement,
co-operation and collaboration are the way to go.

-- 
mjt