From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Hans Reiser Subject: Re: Fwd: reiser4 non-free? Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2004 09:56:01 -0700 Message-ID: <40928521.2080107@namesys.com> References: <20040424193246.GA2490@raptus.homelinux.org> <200405010026.59064.camel78@iprimus.com.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-path: list-help: list-unsubscribe: list-post: Errors-To: flx@namesys.com In-Reply-To: <200405010026.59064.camel78@iprimus.com.au> List-Id: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format="flowed" To: camel78@iprimus.com.au Cc: Sami Liedes , ed@debian.org, debian-legal@lists.debian.org, reiserfs-list@namesys.com Michael, you are much more eloquent than I am. Thanks for understanding. Hans Michael Milverton wrote: >Is this the licencing in question? > >### >Finally, nothing in this license shall be interpreted to allow you to >fail to fairly credit me, or to remove my credits such as by creating >a front end that hides my credits from the user or renaming mkreiser4 >to mkyourcompanyfs or even just make_filesystem, without my >permission, unless you are an end user not redistributing to others. >If you have doubts about how to properly do that, or about what is >fair, ask. (Last I spoke with him Richard was contemplating how best >to address the fair crediting issue in the next GPL version.) > >Also, a clustering file system built to work on top of this file >system shall be considered a derivative work for the purposes of >interpreting the GPL license granted herein. Plugins are also to be >considered derivative works. Share code or pay money, we give you the >choice. >### > >I read this as meaning the following. Nobody is allowed to take the product >that we produce and rename it into something else, thereby making it look as >though it really belongs to someone else. > >The way I read the GPL is that it is essentially giving you the freedom to >copy change and modify the code as long you pass this freedom along. > >I do not see how the addition of this request for not altering the product >name by renaming it something else is in contradiction with the GPL. The way >I read the GPL, it would still be possible to create a new program that >contained reiser4 code and call it something else as long as the code was >free. All it appears that is being asked is to not change the name of the >product itself. This is the moral and right thing to do. The GPL licence also >makes its intent and purpose clear in the following statement > >## >Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your >rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the >right to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on >the Program. >## > >Nothing in what Hans has requested would restrict the distribution of >derivative or collective works based on the program. This is what the GPL is >in essence trying to exercise control over eg to distribute derivative or >collective works. As it states it does not have the intention to claim rights >or contest the rights of the person/people who wrote the program. I would >seem to think that if you strip credits and rename the actual product itself, >eg NOT a derivitave work then you are taking the rights away from the person >who wrote it. > >Anyway apart from the technical aspect I believe there is a more fundamental >issue that should not be swept under the carpet and this is that it is clear >that people are prepared to essentially exploit the hardwork of other people >and it is these people who are going against the spirit of the GPL. What is >the point of having the code copyrighted to Hans Reiser in the source code >when all the end user gets to see is that this software is called company X. > >I think people need to be more sensitive to the feelings of people that put >such a huge amount of heart and soul into their software and not be so quick >in dismissing their concerns. If people do not feel heard and do not feel >that their contribution is essentially meaningful then it takes away one of >the biggest motivations for releasing their hard work as Free Software. > > >Thankyou >And by the way if I could spell I would have spelt it right in the first >place. > >Thankyou >Michael Milverton > > >