XFree86 4.4: List of Rejecting Distributors Grows

Bootsy Collins writes "Yesterday, we discussed Mandrake's decision to revert their release-in-development from XFree86 version 4.4 back to version 4.3 because of issues with the new XFree86 license. To update this, the list of OS distributors opting out of XF86 Version 4.4, and future releases, based on licensing concerns continues to grow. While Fedora seems to be "preparing to support multiple X11 implementations", Red Hat has explicitly stated that they have no plans to ship XFree86 v4.4 under its current license. Also add to the growing list list Debian, Gentoo, and OpenBSD."

Comments

Re:Oh great, here we go...

[krumms]

XFree86 has been a very good project. The freedesktop.org X server, though, will be very difference once the GNOME and KDE folks get involved. The nice, clean config file will be replaced by some arcane XML format.

How is XML arcane?

IMHO, <option name=ZAxisMapping value="4 5" /> is much more verbose than what you see in the current XF86 config file.

In fact, the XF86 config file would probably be better suited to XML than what it currently uses: XML is for structured data - have you read an XF86Config file lately? notice the structure?

Sure, if they throw namespaces into the mix then things change - again, IMO - for the worse.

But don't knock XML. It's "extensible" (and thus more complex) only if you need it to be.

Re:Free Software

[mirabilos]

It's actually more free than the GNU GPL or even
the LGPL.
It's equivalent to the 4-clause UCB licence, and
that's why the MirOS Project (MirBSD and soon-to-be
MirLinux, remember?) has no problem with it.

We will import XFree86 4.4 after it's released,
and have already incorporated the advertising
clause (and prepared for the Apache License 2.0).

We do also read licences, like the OpenBSD people.