Re: [Qemu-devel] FreeOSZoo will stop March 1, 2005

["Jim C. Brown" <jma5@umd.edu>]

On Sun, Feb 13, 2005 at 05:42:39AM +0100, James Mastros wrote:
> Jim C. Brown wrote:
> >1) There are those that use qemu without giving Fabrice any money or credit
> >(such as iEmulator). This is best resolved by legal action, but it may be
> >difficult for a single person to fight against an entire company, 
> >financial-wise.
> If this is the reason, and I think it is part of it, then it is a bad 
> reason.
> 
> a) iEmulator wouldn't use kqemu anyway.  kqemu is for running 
> x86-on-x86.  iEmulator is for x86-on-PowerPC.  Thus, the iEmulator 
> people aren't loosing anything.

But they are using qemu. If qemu was closed source, then iEmulator wouldn't have
been able to do that.

> 
> b) A far more effective way would be to first verify that they are 
> actually breaking the GPL -- when you purchase iEmulator, do they give 
> you a copy of the qemu source with it?  Are you given all rights to the 
> qemu source you get as you would under the GPL?  Do they link code 
> licensed GPL-incompatabiliy with qemu code?

Of course qemu isnt under the GPL at all, so that is impossible. Only qemu-user
code uses the GPL license, and that is probably due to the fact that it uses
linux kernel code.

qemu system emulation is under the BSD license iirc.

> 
> If iEmulator is not breaking the GPL, then put the code into the qemu 
> CVS.  If they are, then start making quiet threats.  If they don't open 
> up, then talk to GNU, http://www.softwarefreedom.org/.  If they still 
> don't, then it's time to make loud threats -- post to /., etc.
> 
> Don't punish everybody because a few folks aren't playing by the rules.

I agree, but the main problem would be legal. If you can't get the courts
to side with you, then you're sunk.

> 
> >2) Fabrice wants to hold on to the source in order to make revenue from it 
> >in
> >the future.
> This is really a much more reasonable position, but if this is his 
> position, he should probably state what it would take to open the 
> current source for kqemu, and set up a way to take donations for the 
> fund.  If he gets to his target, then do it again when he's ready to 
> make the next big leap forward -- assuming, that is, that it isn't based 
> upon GPL code from other parties.  (There's nothing illegal about basing 
> it on your own GPL'd code.)

Presumably he's going to sell kqemu, and he is using this as a test run before
he tries to sell the code to the big companies and get the megabucks. (At least
that is what I would do.)

> 
> Since he hasn't responded to any of the several attempts to give him 
> money, I rather doubt money is his primary concern, but rather respect 
> and credit, which I can certainly understand -- but making kqemu 
> closed-source isn't a good way to cause this to happen.
> 
> Despite this, I will probably be making several code contributions to 
> qemu in the nearish future.  (PC speaker support, and possibly faster 
> graphics code.)  I probably won't be contributing money, as it's rather 
> tight for me -- sorry, Fabrice.
> 
> 	-=- James Mastros
> 

-- 
Infinite complexity begets infinite beauty.
Infinite precision begets infinite perfection.