Oz WB PCBs - now available - Or how I screwed the list

[Brian L Massey]

On Thu, 25 Oct 2001 10:20:04 -0700 Andrew Theurer <habanero at us.ibm.com>
writes:

>Ask Andrew Tridgel how he feels about people making millions
>from Samba, and he will tell you he is thrilled.  Why can't
>others have that same attitude?

You need to get this one thing embedded in what you typed above, Andrew.
That is *Andrew's choice*, to choose what he's thrilled with, and forge a
usage agreement to suit his intent. The problem comes when you say 'why
can't others have that same attitude'? Sounds like you don't have the
same respect for other attitudes? If the diyWB team is thrilled more with
some other situation and restrictions, that's their call. Even if it
doesn't thrill Andrew. In the case of diyWB, it's not Andrew's call. In
the case of Samba, it is. That's what appears to me you're not giving due
weight to.

> Yes, there are restrictions.  I happen to think the GPL & LGPL 
> rescrictions 
> are reasonable.  The WB-o2 rescrictions are crazy.  HOWEVER, I will 
> abide by 
> them.  I will not profit from wb-o2, and I will not keep my 
> improvements, if 
> any, private.

OK, now I can appreciate and respect that. Of course the other choice you
have is to say, 'no I can't agree to the terms, so I can't make use of
the wb-o2'. That's what Peter should have done, IMHO. Somehow he thinks
he has a right to it, irrespective of conditions or restrictions.

> The only real reason I can see 
> Bruce & Co 
> being pissed about others making a profit, is that they intend to 
> profit at a 
> later time.  Others cashing in before them may spoil that.

Noooo, I think you're too close to the barbs you've been getting, and
your statement above is mostly defensive. None of those guys have any
commercial intentions; read back all that they've posted. Your suspicions
are groundless, but I'll give you a better suspicion to replace it with.
:)  Suppose they tried to restrict the exchange of monies to passing on
direct costs only, with nothing like "cost plus..." allowed, for the very
purpose of avoiding *any* potential for commercialization, no matter how
modest? Sure, you don't like that because you are 'thrilled' with another
approach that allows for commercialization and profit, but do these guys
not have the right to specify their own conditions under which they too
can be 'thrilled'? It's their call, is it not? They're not Andrew,
remember.

> I  do think rescrictions are necessary, but the wb-o2 agreement goes 
> too far. ...
> Someone making a profit from these works in NO WAY 
> inhitibs 
> someone from still Doing It Yourself.

See, I think you have the same view about this as Peter; the difference
is you understand that it's just *your opinion* and others are equally
valid, and you are willing to go along with someone else's ideas on how
to do charitable contributions, and abide by *their* requirements -when
it's their call-, even though you disagree with them. I trust you also
can see there are plenty of those onlist that *disagree* with your point
of view? I personally am not at all 'thrilled' with the GPL method as
I've said before; I think there is a much better way, but whatever way
that might be, it's my call if it's my contribution. It's not the form or
nature of the agreement that's at issue, it's whether we will keep
agreements or not.

And if you or Peter or whoever, wants to release some production *of your
own* under GPL, go ahead, and I will respect whatever terms you place on
the release (I can always pass on by if I can't agree). But I expect the
same respect and cooperation from you; abide by my wishes if it's *my*
work that's in question, or else give it a miss. That's all anyone on the
diyWB team ever asked of Peter or anyone else.

Brian
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