Mambo Users Threatened

An anonymous reader writes "Newsforge has an article about a recent dispute over code in Mambo (a Free CMS). A Mr. Connolly has sent threatening emails to Mambo users over this, a move John Weathersby of OSSI was quoted as saying 'That's ... not prudent.' The dispute is over some trivial code that checks whether a story is a lead story and if so displays it across multiple columns, as it's a modification of GPL code the Mambo team maintain it must remain GPL but Mr. Connolly claims otherwise."

Comments

Re:Inaccurate summary

[mbourgon]

The modification was then "leaked" to Mambo.

Not entirely accurate. According to the guy who wrote the code, he just wrote a different implementation of the idea, and gave that to Mambo.

I don't believe it for a second

[u-235-sentinel]

If you are presently using the software application "Mambo OS" in any release post October 3, 2003, you and your organization are potentially exposed to CIVIL LITIGATION and possibly CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

If people/companies can be sued for just using software then our legal system would be in worse shape than it is today.

I've had this argument time and time again with people online. Just by USING something doesn't make you guilty of breaking the law. If I contributed however, well, that's another story altogether.

For example, if I put something into the New York Times that I didn't have business submitting then sure I'm liable. If I merely purchased a copy of the paper and read it then I'm not liable.

Our courts might be messed up but they are not stupid :-)