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Linux Wireless Driver Violates BSD License?

bsdphx writes "After years of encouragement from the OpenBSD community for others to use Reyk Floeter's free Atheros wireless driver, it seems that the Linux world is finally listening. Unfortunately, they seem to think that they can strip the BSD license right out of it."

355 comments

  1. No, it doesn't. by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    It appears that someone's submitted a patch to the LKML that wrongly strips the BSD atheros driver of its license - a clear violation of copyright.

    However, until it's in Linus's tree (or even the MM tree), the violation is not by "linux", but the contributor, Jiri Slaby.

    Anyway, thanks to the OpenBSD team for these great drivers. Thanks to the Linux team for including them (under the correct license).

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    1. Re:No, it doesn't. by sigzero · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I think that they are more upset with the attitude more than anything. If you read the LKML threads it is matter of fact "there I changed it and now it is GPL2 only".

    2. Re:No, it doesn't. by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think that they are more upset with the attitude more than anything.

      You're upset at the behavior of an individual on a public mailing list?

      How on earth do you cope with the wider internet? (and manage to post on slashdot for god's sake).

      --
      There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    3. Re:No, it doesn't. by sigzero · · Score: 0

      Please read before posting. I did not say "I". I said "they". I should ask how you manage it because you seem to be lost in such a short post.

    4. Re:No, it doesn't. by phoebe · · Score: 4, Informative

      It appears that someone's submitted a patch to the LKML that wrongly strips the BSD atheros driver of its license - a clear violation of copyright.

      The contributor being the author of the wireless module makes this article a bit short on common sense.

      First check the author of the patch, its Jiri Slaby.

      Subject [PATCH 4/5] Net: ath5k, license is GPLv2
      From Jiri Slaby <>
      Date Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:00:50 -0400
      Digg This

      ath5k, license is GPLv2

      The files are available only under GPLv2 since now.

      Signed-off-by: Jiri Slaby

      Then check the copyright notice on top of the source files, there is a copyright to ... Jiri Slaby.

      +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_base.c
      @@ -4,25 +4,9 @@
      * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
      * All rights reserved.

      So an author changed the license of his own code, hit the presses!

    5. Re:No, it doesn't. by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Exactly,

      I don't even know why this is news, Until Linus accepts it, it's some random patch submitted to the tree, tons of those are rejected daily.

      The entire story and Slashdot submission is plain old FUD. if it was accepted and part of a new kernel tree I can see the story, but right now it's absolutely nothing but some random guy changed. Are we going to start getting stories submitted about what someone says on their blog now?

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    6. Re:No, it doesn't. by MMC+Monster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Not just that, but it appears that the original file was dual licensed to BSD and GPLv2.

      What exactly is this article about?

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    7. Re:No, it doesn't. by jimstapleton · · Score: 4, Insightful

      actually, most of them don't have him as the copyright holder.

      Looks more like some yutz decided that he didn't like the BSD licence and went in and changed all the licences to GPLv2, in the files, and didn't do anything else.

      Honestly, I can't complain, as long as the copyright notices are kept, and unchanged, it is acceptable (someone posted thsi further down).

      Nonetheless, someone going in, and doing nothing but removing the BSD licencing on every file (or at least the first 4 or 5, I didn't look through the whole thing), and replcaing it with "this code is now under GPLv2", seems somewhat childish, more like a tantrum than anything else.

      --
      34486853790
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    8. Re:No, it doesn't. by dysprosia · · Score: 1

      No, you need to include the permission notice too on BSD licensed source as well as the copyright. Those have been uniformly stripped out of BSD-only licensed code, which violates the license.

    9. Re:No, it doesn't. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      What exactly is this article about?

      You've visited the site, contributed to the discussion, presumably loaded the ads on the page, had your visit logged by Google... so what the fcuk do you care? Mind your own business web boy! (and please come again).

    10. Re:No, it doesn't. by kernelpanicked · · Score: 5, Informative

      Wrong! But thanks for playing. I see you convinced the greater slashdot horde to give you a few mod points for your wrong answer, congrats. The correct answer is the code is copyrighted 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis. This is a clear case of someone grabbing BSD code, stripping and replacing the license with the GPL, and submitting it as a patch to the mainline kernel.

      --
      Ubuntu: If at first you don't succeed, blindly slap a sudo in front of it
    11. Re:No, it doesn't. by uglydog · · Score: 4, Informative
      But what about the lines that say

      - * Alternatively, this software may be distributed under the terms of the
      - * GNU General Public License ("GPL") version 2 as published by the Free
      - * Software Foundation.
      - *
      + * This file is released under GPLv2 Doesn't that mean the the second person is opting to distribute under GPLv2? And the copyright notices are intact.

      * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
      * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
      *
    12. Re:No, it doesn't. by kernelpanicked · · Score: 1

      Surely it can be distributed as GPL2 if it's dual licensed. That's not an issue, but only the author of the software has the right to strip the attribution lines from the code. That violates the BSD license and more importantly, is just a morally bankrupt path to take.

      --
      Ubuntu: If at first you don't succeed, blindly slap a sudo in front of it
    13. Re:No, it doesn't. by MrNaz · · Score: 1

      Ooo oo! I've been waiting for my trash to be slashdotted!

      --
      I hate printers.
    14. Re:No, it doesn't. by Svartalf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And even more hilarious is that the **ORIGINAL AUTHOR** did it in the first place.

      It's about Theo and company getting their panties in a wad over any percieved "stealing" of their
      codebase from the OpenBSD tree and relicensing it under the GPL. What the dummies didn't get
      was that the contribution and re-release of the code was under the GPL V2 by the original author
      which has the right to do whatever he damn well pleases with it if he's not breaching the Copyrights
      of other contributors to a given piece in the process of relicensing it.

      If the original author did this, Theo and company need to put a brown paper bag over their heads...

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    15. Re:No, it doesn't. by Skater · · Score: 1

      Are we going to start getting stories submitted about what someone says on their blog now?

      I know you are not new here, by your UID. :) They've been doing that for years.

      But more on topic - I recall a story a few months ago where Linux drivers for something made it into BSD. Didn't Theo go off on the guy that asked them to be removed or whatever? I assume that story is part of why this one got posted...

    16. Re:No, it doesn't. by Ed+Avis · · Score: 2, Informative

      So an author changed the license of his own code, hit the presses!

      Nope... check the first patch that appears in the article:

      @@ -2,17 +2,7 @@
          * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
          * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
          *
      - * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
      - * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
      - * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
      - *
      - * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
      - * WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
      - * MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
      - * ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
      - * WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
      - * ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
      - * OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
      + * This file is released under GPLv2


      See the two copyright holders? They would need to give permission.

      N.B. 'This file is released under GPLv2' is not really the recommended notice to add to source files. See 'How to apply these terms to your programs' at the end of the GPL text.
      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    17. Re:No, it doesn't. by OttoM · · Score: 1

      The diff show only part of the files. Jiri Slaby is not the sole copyrightjholder, so he cannot change the license without agreement of the other authors.

    18. Re:No, it doesn't. by ACNiel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You missed the whole point.

      Does Jiri Slaby have the right to change the license on Reyk Floeter's code?

      We don't care about whether the license on the patch itself was changed, but the license from the code he borrowed.

    19. Re:No, it doesn't. by Toy+G · · Score: 1

      Jiri is not the only author of that driver...

      * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
      * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
      * Copyright (c) 2002-2007 Sam Leffler, Errno Consulting
      * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
      * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
      * Copyright (c) 2004, 2005 Reyk Floeter

      Slashdot can be "sensationalist", but in this case there's a real problem.

      --
      -- Let's go Viridian.
    20. Re:No, it doesn't. by georgeb · · Score: 2, Informative

      That's a load of crap. Being dual-licensed means that I can choose to abide whichever license suits me best. This _includes_ the right to redistribute the whole code under the GPLv2, ignoring the BSD license and all it's requirements altogether.

    21. Re:No, it doesn't. by stevew · · Score: 3, Informative

      Correct as far as you went - but did you bother to look at the followups???

      Several people basically said Nope - can't do that. How about dual licensing?

      The author replied - yes please, I'm away from my system right now - could someone do that.

      (the above paraphrased..)

      So in my mind - someone made a mistake, others pointed it out, and the original author asked for it to be corrected in the suggested manner.

      --
      Have you compiled your kernel today??
    22. Re:No, it doesn't. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What it's really about (which sadly I have to post anonymously just to -say- without being moderated into oblivion) is the ego of the OpenBSD community. The OpenBSD developers were caught red-handed violating the GPL, and they resolved it, but it's been a stain on their reputation ever since. Unfortunately, due to de Raadt being a vindictive egomaniac, I suspect the strategy is now for the OpenBSD folk to start waving torches when the mere possibility of a BSD license violation comes up. After all, it takes the negative attention away from them, at least for a little while.

    23. Re:No, it doesn't. by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
          * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
          * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
          * Copyright (c) 2002-2007 Sam Leffler, Errno Consulting
          * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
          * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
          * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
          * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis

      The poster of the patch is Jiri Slaby and he is a copyright holder. And one of the more recent ones, which implies he is active and has taken over management of that subproject (an assumption on my part). The software can be relicensed if all copyright holders agree. He can swap out BSD for GPLv2 in his files if he wishes, but if he's going to do it to files by other people he needs to get their permission. I don't know if he did or did not get permission, likely since he is working on the same project as them he did. But he should have made that clear in his post.

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    24. Re:No, it doesn't. by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And even more hilarious is that the **ORIGINAL AUTHOR** did it in the first place. Depends what you mean by 'original'. This is the author of the Linux kernel module, which is a derived work of the OpenBSD driver by Reyk Floeter.
      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    25. Re:No, it doesn't. by evilviper · · Score: 1

      it appears that the original file was dual licensed to BSD and GPLv2. What exactly is this article about?

      You can use BSD licensed code under the GPL, no problem. But on of the very few restrictions the BSD license imposes is that you can't remove the copyright notice, which is what happened.

      If some company stripped the GPL license headers from the code they use, even if they were using it, and making changes available as per the GPL, there'd be plenty of public outcry over the license violation.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    26. Re:No, it doesn't. by peacefinder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I suspect folks are making a big deal out of it because of a recent brouhaha in which an OpenBSD developer mistakenly made GPL-code available in a BSD-licensed CVS tree. OpenBSD acknowledged and fixed the problem really quickly, but there was still a big stink about it and how it was handled that left bad feelings on both sides.

      Now a Linux developer has been seen doing something that at first glance looks worse, so I suppose we can expect another flamewar even if it turns out to be no big deal.

      --
      With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
    27. Re:No, it doesn't. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      There is no violation. They modified some lines of text which had no bearing to their use of the license which granted them. The GPL doesn't state, 'Oh, and you have to keep any other alternate license headers as well'.

      Granted, I think it's poor form. But to label it a violation as opposed to a poke in the BSD license face is an assumption.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    28. Re:No, it doesn't. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      IT ISN'T BSD LICENSED SOURCE.

      The BSD project has it available under EITHER license. EITHER/OR.

      If a menu says you can have fries OR mashed potatoes, *YOU DON'T GET BOTH* unless you ASK for them.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    29. Re:No, it doesn't. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1, Insightful

      In a long list of corrections, he did NOT change the license. He was using the code UNDER the GPL, and released his changes, per the GPL requirement.

      Bad tact perhaps, but not a violation.

      What exactly would be the point of using the GPL *AND* the BSD license together? Then you'd just use BSD, right?

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    30. Re:No, it doesn't. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Show me one place where it states that both license headers shall be retained in gplv2?

      He was granted the right to change the code under the gplv2. He released it. Duel license means use either, NOT both.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    31. Re:No, it doesn't. by huckamania · · Score: 1

      "Are we going to start getting stories submitted about what someone says on their blog now?"

      Depends on whose blog it is, I would imagine. RMS, Linus, etc, could make news for nerds by posting something on a blog. Wouldn't be the first time.

      Still, you have to expect this nonsense when one side decides to use their license for something other then licensing software. Promoting the 4 freedoms and trying to entrap MS into some wierd patent ponzi scheme, are all well and good, but there are quite a few developers who don't give a crap about that stuff and just want to write code.

      Even if you don't consider it news, it was nice to learn that not all code can be copyrighted (such as header files, standards compliance, etc). Here I was getting all guilty for violating some poor schlubs copyright and it turns out they can't copyright that stuff.

      Woo Hoo! I'm off to borrow even more stuff now and I'm going to strip all the copyrighting/licensing cruft.

    32. Re:No, it doesn't. by kestasjk · · Score: 4, Funny

      Linux users think Abraham was ordered to sacrifice Linus as a burnt offering, GNU users think Abraham was ordered to sacrifice Stallman as a burnt offering. Linux users believe in the holy trinity of GNU/Linux/NvidiaBlobs, BSD users believe in the one and only UNIX. Linux users are fine with Tux toys and stickers, BSD users believe in no graven images. Linux users are subdivided into those that argue about interpretations of freedom and whether the establishment is corrupt, BSD users are subdivided according to which BSD is the true descendant of UNIX(pbuh).

      --
      // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
    33. Re:No, it doesn't. by WNight · · Score: 1

      You use the surviving license?

    34. Re:No, it doesn't. by e9th · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think the intent is to allow you to use the code under either license, but not to redistribute it under just one.

      I prefer fries, but if someone asks me to pass the menu, I shouldn't cross out mashed potatoes before doing so.

    35. Re:No, it doesn't. by inode_buddha · · Score: 0, Offtopic
      "If the original author did this, Theo and company need to put a brown paper bag over their heads..."

      I prefer plastic.

      --
      C|N>K
    36. Re:No, it doesn't. by julesh · · Score: 1

      The contributor being the author of the wireless module makes this article a bit short on common sense.

      First check the author of the patch, its Jiri Slaby.

      Then check the copyright notice on top of the source files, there is a copyright to ... Jiri Slaby.


      Yes, but there's also copyrights to Reyk Floeter, Nick Kossifidis, and Sam Leffler, along with possibly others that weren't quoted in the diffs. Have these other contributors agreed to the change?

    37. Re:No, it doesn't. by julesh · · Score: 1

      Honestly, I can't complain, as long as the copyright notices are kept, and unchanged, it is acceptable (someone posted thsi further down).

      No, the BSD license specifically states (quoting from the diff in question):

      - * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
      - * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
      - * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.

      (emphasis mine)

      Note that "this permission notice" is exactly what was being removed.

    38. Re:No, it doesn't. by Grax · · Score: 0, Troll

      How come they aren't upset about Microsoft changing the license on the BSD code they use in Windows products?

      You cannot take the BSD files from the Microsoft source code and modify them. Those files are under the Microsoft copyright and you are not even allowed to view them without special permission. The only difference here is that when they are in the Linux tree, you can freely view and modify them.

    39. Re:No, it doesn't. by BobPaul · · Score: 1

      It's always easy to hide behind the undefined "they", isn't it? ;)

    40. Re:No, it doesn't. by xenocide2 · · Score: 1

      Are header files considered copyrightable?

      --
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      Open Source Sysadmin

    41. Re:No, it doesn't. by julesh · · Score: 2, Insightful

      IT ISN'T BSD LICENSED SOURCE.

      The BSD project has it available under EITHER license. EITHER/OR.


      This isn't exactly true, though. Some of the files are available under a dual license. Others, it seems, aren't.

      Look at the copyright notice being removed from, e.g., ath5k_hw.c:

          * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
          * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
          *
      - * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
      - * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
      - * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
      - *
      - * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
      - * WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
      - * MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
      - * ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
      - * WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
      - * ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
      - * OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
      - *

      No mention of a GPL dual license in there.

    42. Re:No, it doesn't. by Kartoffel · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I prefer fries, but if someone asks me to pass the menu, I shouldn't cross out mashed potatoes before doing so.

      Yes! That's the issue exactly (well, analogously). The original software permitted either license. Jiri removed all the BSD bits, including the copyrights of the other contributors. Jiri's kernal submission is an attempt at an exclusively GPL fork. This fork is indistinguishable in name from the original BSD-licensed code. IMHO, if you're going to fork something, at least give it a different name so that you can tell the difference.

      There are now, effectively, two different branches: The BSD branch, from which future changes may be freely merged to the GPL-only branch; and the potentially illicit GPL-only branch. Changes submitted directly to the GPL-only branch are doomed to be stuck there forevermore, per the restrictions of the GPL. How are developers to know which branch is which when they have the same name? Furthermore, this fork will balkanize future development, forcing developers to choose whether they wish to submit patches only to the GPL fork, or to both (by way of submitting first to the BSD branch).

      Fundamentally, the problem seems to be that you can't logically have something be *both* GPL and BSD. Draw a Venn diagram. The GPL forbids free reuse in source or binary form. BSD forbids ripping out the copyright notice of the contributors.

    43. Re:No, it doesn't. by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

      Header files are copyrightable just as any source file. A list of numbers (like the list in errno.h) or a public interface description (like Win32) may be considered mere facts and so if you re-express the same facts in your own words (or even in the exact same words, if the language you write in doesn't offer much choice) you may not be infringing copyright. This does not mean a blanket exemption for all header files from copyright law. IANAL etc.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    44. Re:No, it doesn't. by Macthorpe · · Score: 3, Informative

      As far as I recall, BSD is basically "do what you want as long as the attribution remains" - and that attribution is still in the Microsoft code. However, the offenders stripped out the whole text and therefore infringed the license.

      You can correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    45. Re:No, it doesn't. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 0

      But the entire package comes with license information that states it is covered under both. Even though the individual source files may not include the individual license headers, an explicit license on the entire package would include files where the license is not specifically stated.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    46. Re:No, it doesn't. by Grax · · Score: 3, Informative

      The patch file quoted removes only the BSD license notes, not any attribution to a creator. Since the file specifically states that it (the file) is available in either BSD or GPL license, it makes since to me that a GPL user would say "OK then. We are using it as GPL" and remove the BSD license notes.

    47. Re:No, it doesn't. by Macthorpe · · Score: 1

      Ah, didn't realise it was dual licensed - sounds like a typical Theo reaction, then.

      Carry on!

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    48. Re:No, it doesn't. by Soruk · · Score: 2, Informative

      Some of the files changed are indeed dual licensed.

      Unfortunately, some of them are only BSD-licensed. That's the big oops here.

      --
      -- Soruk
    49. Re:No, it doesn't. by Soruk · · Score: 1

      BSD users believe in no graven images

      What about the FreeBSD daemon (as shown on their site? Or the strange thing looking like a furball riding a seahorse on the OpenBSD site? :)

      --
      -- Soruk
    50. Re:No, it doesn't. by MobileC · · Score: 1

      Linux users are fine with Tux toys and stickers, BSD users believe in no graven images.

      Not even a little Daemon?

      --

      Fran
      :):):)
      1st 1st Poster of the new Millennium!

    51. Re:No, it doesn't. by m50d · · Score: 1
      Does Jiri Slaby have the right to change the license on Reyk Floeter's code?

      Isn't that the whole point of the BSD license, that anyone can redistribute it under (pretty much) any license they like?

      --
      I am trolling
    52. Re:No, it doesn't. by BitZtream · · Score: 1

      Jesus, for being a joke you could not have been accurate if you had 100 people doing research for you.

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    53. Re:No, it doesn't. by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      However, until it's in Linus's tree (or even the MM tree), the violation is not by "linux", but the contributor, Jiri Slaby. That's a great thing about using a decentralised thing like Git - when an OpenBSD developer does the same thing, you can say "Hey, these OpenBSD guys are fscking stealing Linux code!", and the blame goes to OpenBSD directly.
    54. Re:No, it doesn't. by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 1

      Visited the site? Didn't use an adblocking tool? You must be new here...

      --
      There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
    55. Re:No, it doesn't. by ClamIAm · · Score: 1

      I haven't laughed so hard at a /. comment in a long time. Good work :)

    56. Re:No, it doesn't. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Both licenses are distribution licenses, not licenses to use the software. So your first sentence doesn't make sense.

    57. Re:No, it doesn't. by julesh · · Score: 1

      But the entire package comes with license information that states it is covered under both.

      Do you have a link to this license grant? I haven't seen it, only the individual source files.

    58. Re:No, it doesn't. by jwo7777777 · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's what they say.

    59. Re:No, it doesn't. by BobPaul · · Score: 1

      Those bastards!

    60. Re:No, it doesn't. by ArbitraryConstant · · Score: 1

      "As far as I recall, BSD is basically "do what you want as long as the attribution remains""

      No. The first clause in a 3 clause BSD license is "Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer, without modification.".

      --
      I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
    61. Re:No, it doesn't. by I!heartU · · Score: 1

      You can't do that.. that is modify the license of code you didn't write. You have to leave the dual license provision in there. So it may be in linux and be distributed as GPL2, but the provision is still in the code so that someone at a later date can rip it out the BSD parts and distribute them as BSD.

    62. Re:No, it doesn't. by eneville · · Score: 1

      BSD users believe in no graven images

      What about the FreeBSD daemon (as shown on their site? Or the strange thing looking like a furball riding a seahorse on the OpenBSD site? :) thats a blow fish
    63. Re:No, it doesn't. by Grax · · Score: 1

      If it is truly dual-licensed then I have the choice to treat it as BSD license or GPL license. If I have changes to make to this dual-licensed file, I should have the choice to release my changes as BSD licensed, GPL licensed, or dual-licensed.

      If my changes are GPL licensed, and the file was released as a dual-license, the result is a GPL licensed file. If I am forced to leave the dual license provision in there then the file is not truly dual-licensed.

      As you describe it, there is no difference between a dual-license and a BSD license as you supposedly can't choose to ever really use the GPL license.

      In the cited case, it was even worse, as some authors selected BSD license, while other authors selected dual-license, causing confusion about what license the files really were under.

  2. Re:No honor amongst theives by Kokuyo · · Score: 4, Funny

    No orthography among ACs, eh?

  3. Hmmmm by S.O.B. · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    That pot and kettle are here somewhere...

    --
    Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
    1. Re:Hmmmm by squiggleslash · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Absolutely. This situation is unbelievable.

      A few months ago, a GPL'd Linux driver was incorporated into the mainline OpenBSD kernel tree (albeit some months before release, and largely non-working.) The Linux developers concerned contacted the OpenBSD team via the regular mailing list, Ccing some relevant Linux and legal people. The email was polite, more or less friendly, and constructive, offering help to the OpenBSD people to ensure the situation was resolved with both projects having a working driver at the end of the day.

      The OpenBSD team's response was to go nuclear. Theo called the Linux developers "inhuman". Many argued that the copyright violation was legitimate performing coding acrobatics to pretend that real, copyrighted, code was never being distributed under the BSD license; others argued this proved the superiority of the BSD license because if it had been the other way around, the OpenBSD team would never have objected, given the BSD license allows you to do (apparently) anything, whereas the GPL prevents use in closed systems.

      Well, what a bunch of, frankly, hypocritical two-faced liars. The OpenBSD team's response to an apparent BSD license violation (which we were assured would never happen, because the BSD license is so liberal) is to directly accuse the Linux developers of copyright infringement. Rather than involve appropriate mailing lists and relevant people, the complaint is made on the public Undeadly.org website. Rather than offer help, the OpenBSD developers just spit blood. And none acknowledge that the copyright infringement hasn't even happened yet, that is to say, the proposed code is a patch that has yet to be accepted into the mainline kernels.

      This is the second time the OpenBSD team have owed Linux developers an apology, and I bet it's the second time we're not going to hear one, instead hearing the same self-righteous fraudulent apologetics we hear one.

      OpenBSD developers have time and time again claimed "moral superiority" over GNU and Linux due to their adoption of a license that allows code to be used in closed projects. It always was a specious argument, but it's looking all the more absurd today.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    2. Re:Hmmmm by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

      Moral of the story: don't fuck with Theo.

    3. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the moral of the story is to ignore Theo and rest of his merry bunch of clowns.

    4. Re:Hmmmm by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 5, Insightful

      OpenBSD developers have time and time again claimed "moral superiority" over GNU and Linux due to their adoption of a license that allows code to be used in closed projects. It always was a specious argument, but it's looking all the more absurd today.

      Claiming any particular licence (BSD/GPL) to be superior is like asserting that cars are superior to helicopters. In far too many cases, the licences are dragged in to try to justify a bad argument, and the fault lies with both camps. GNU and BSD zealots alike adopt Talibanesque positions that do nothing but harm to the community.

      This story should have been a simple clear-cut case it weren't for a small rabble-rousing group. Funnily enough, Theo posted a fairly decent and non-inflamatory respones in the early discussions. This is in stark contrast to the earlier GPL case (mentioned in your post) where his reaction was indefensible.

      Incidentally, the BSD licence infringement has already taken place. That happened as soon as the author distributed the code with the licence stripped from it. Doesn't matter whether or not it hit a main-stream kernel. As soon as he made it available to others, distribution kicked-in. That said, the author has a case to answer for but certainly not the entire Linux community the "OMG LINUX STOLE OUR CODE!" crowd would have us think.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    5. Re:Hmmmm by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Incidentally, the BSD licence infringement has already taken place. That happened as soon as the author distributed the code with the licence stripped from it. Doesn't matter whether or not it hit a main-stream kernel. As soon as he made it available to others, distribution kicked-in. That said, the author has a case to answer for but certainly not the entire Linux community the "OMG LINUX STOLE OUR CODE!" crowd would have us think.

      Good catch. This is, I believe, correct, and if I could re-edit my post I'd reword it to reflect that. The infringement has occurred, but it was not done by anything resembling the Linux community, with no code actually being in the kernel, either in released or pre-released form.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    6. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      FWIW - I took the initial GPL -> BSD flamewar as being more of an 'OMG OpenBSD Stole Our Code'

      which is why theo got pissed if you read the whole thread - he didn't like that the
      driver developer posted to the whole list & cc'ed legal people instead of just writing
      the actual committer directly and working it out between them,

      The inflammitory attitude, in his eyes, was the approach taken in reporting the violation,
      and he in his thoughts responded in kind. so in that sense a calm response here would be consistent
      with what he sees is the way to go about things..

    7. Re:Hmmmm by Wannabe+Code+Monkey · · Score: 3, Informative

      Funnily enough, Theo posted a fairly decent and non-inflamatory respones in the early discussions. This is in stark contrast to the earlier GPL case (mentioned in your post) where his reaction was indefensible.

      Really? Because this is what I read from Theo: It boggles the mind. One writes legal text which says "You may not delete this", and their approach is to delete it, and splatter GPL-gizm all over it. "Screw the everyone and theirlaws, we are GNU...". He sounds like an ass to me regardless of who's right or wrong.

      --
      We always knew Comcast was corrupt, here's the proof: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1909890&cid=34545432
    8. Re:Hmmmm by wiredlogic · · Score: 1

      As the author, he isn't bound to any license restrictions (assuming the code is entirely his own). Also, distributing a patch that incorporates excerpts of the licensed code (fair use) is not the same as distributing the code in full.

      --
      I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
    9. Re:Hmmmm by abell · · Score: 1

      Incidentally, the BSD licence infringement has already taken place. That happened as soon as the author distributed the code with the licence stripped from it.
      If it is the original author who distributed the code, then NO license infringement has taken place. The author is free to relicense his code under different terms, as long as he hasn't given up this freedom by (for instance) giving exclusive rights to someone.
    10. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      splatter GPL-gizm all over it

      Hey you may not like the guy, and he may very well be an ass, but I gotta admit, that's pretty goddam funny.

    11. Re:Hmmmm by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      That's a pretty interesting point, I've never thought of fair use in the context of code. In the case of the author who has borrowed some code, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. Depending on the amount of code used, you may be at the mercy of the court since the whole fair use isn't that clear cut in this kind of situation.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    12. Re:Hmmmm by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      My mistake - bad wording. When I said author, I was referring to the guy who had made the modifications and removed the BSD licence text, not the original author/copyright holder.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    13. Re:Hmmmm by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'll concede that point, I think I was in a strangely mellow mood when I originally posted. I can understand Theo's frustration, consdidering how simple the BSD licence is, but I certainly don't see the "OMG" approach as anything but a last restort.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    14. Re:Hmmmm by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      Cheers. Yeah, the error is certainly not of the magnitude of the GPL'ed code in OpenBSD, that went far deeper than this one. In this case, I think the guy who stripped the licence text has behaved quite honourably once he was made aware of the situation. I've seen malicious licence violation (BSD and GPL) in the past and this certainly wasn't it.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    15. Re:Hmmmm by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      He's not the author, he's one of the contributors. Indeed, the license violation that occurred happened because he removed most of the copyright attributions, a situation that ironically would have also been an infringement even if the code was GPLv2.

      There's a meme going on in this article that he's the sole copyright owner on the patch. He isn't, the meme is false.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    16. Re:Hmmmm by Apotsy · · Score: 1
      Hahah, I remember that. That was the one where Theo told other people not to be mean.

      Imagine that! The Theo de Raadt telling other people not to be mean! Still lollin'...

    17. Re:Hmmmm by peacefinder · · Score: 1

      "The OpenBSD team's response was to go nuclear."

      To be more precise, the OpenBSD team's response was to acknowledge the problem and agree to fix it first, and then go nuclear over form.

      The resulting flamewars were not constructive, and neither is the current one. The last one left a lot of bad feelings on both sides, and I expect this one will be no different.

      Sigh.

      --
      With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
    18. Re:Hmmmm by peacefinder · · Score: 1

      Which was also the exact same situation which sparked the previous flamewar, only that time it was a BSD developer's mistake.

      Folks - on both sides - need to cut each other a bit of slack and assume goodwill.

      --
      With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
    19. Re:Hmmmm by OriginalArlen · · Score: 1
      Brian: BROTHERS, BROTHERS! Surely we should be united against the common enemy?

      Terrorists: The Judean People's Front?!

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    20. Re:Hmmmm by OriginalArlen · · Score: 1

      No, the moral of the story is to ignore Theo and rest of his merry bunch of clowns.
      So, you use lsh rather than OpenSSH, then? What, you've never heard of it? Hmmm, I wonder why that might be...

      Disclaimer - I'm a paid-up member of the FSF (number 3000-and-something) but also have half a dozen OpenBSD CDs on the shelf, partly because I use OpenSSH and other of their code all the time, and partly because it's Free and Free is Good, and partly because I want to support a security-focussed software distribution.

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    21. Re:Hmmmm by fwr · · Score: 1

      It seems to me if you dual license code you basically have a license over top both of them that says, I license this code, and here are two sets of license terms that you can choose to use. As said by someone else, if you choose the GPL version of terms there is no requirement to keep the BSD terms, and vice versa. Getting rid of the set of terms you did not agree with and choosing the GPL terms instead doesn't sound to me like any kind of infringement whatsoever. Now if the "top" license says that you can't choose which terms you can use the code under, and that you have to comply with BOTH sets of terms, then it would be quite different, and there would be a violation.

    22. Re:Hmmmm by widman · · Score: 1

      How is the parent moderated insightful? It's a boring troll. He twists all the facts to make Linux zealots go crazy and light the torches. Slashdot is getting even worse than Digg at this pace.

    23. Re:Hmmmm by S.O.B. · · Score: 1

      I got modded as "Offtopic"? Flamebait maybe but off topic?

      I know it's no use to complain about the mods but sometimes you can't help yourself. Maybe the mod was not familiar with the phrase "pot calling the kettle black" which is a completely relevant comment to make in this context.

      Now I feel better.

      --
      Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
    24. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What fact did I twist, troll?

      The fact is anyone who followed Theo's original "inhuman" outburst should be (and in my case is) bewildered and angry about this latest incident.

    25. Re:Hmmmm by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      If something is dual-licenced, you're right that anyone can chose the licence that suits them best. The problem seems that not all the code was GPL'ed. He was taking stuff that was only released under a BSD licence. Either that or we're dealing with GPL'ed code that was really badly commented - i.e. the old BSD licence text wasn't removed. I think it's the former since the author was pretty quick to add the BSD licence text back to the code when the OpenBSD people raised the issue.

      Since it would be impossible to comply with GPLv2 and the BSD licence, I've no idea how that would be dealt with. It would be a case of them saying "You must make the source code available but you don't have to make the source code available".

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    26. Re:Hmmmm by BitZtream · · Score: 1

      The funny part is (after some drinking) I translated this to Gudean Peoples Front, and started to wonder what windows GPFs had to do with this ...

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    27. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      And exactly how much code have YOU personally contributed to ANY Linux project???


      Between the wanna-be-programmers and wanna-be-lawyers contributing their $0.02 (over valued) this whole thread is mostly a joke.


      The BSD people wrote the driver in the first place. They do not have a problem with GPL people using the code as long as their license is respected.


      So where is the big problem???

    28. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And when was the last time YOU wrote any letters on behalf of Amnesty International? Huh? Huh?

      Sorry, this wasn't "insert irrelevant moral one-upmanship arguments into a general discussion about something else"? Ok, well, you and I better pack our bags and leave.

  4. Strange by Ajehals · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The License says:

    Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
    - * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
    - * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies. Granted that section has been removed but the copyright notices referred to:

    * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
        * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis Are still there, it is then shown to have been newly licensed under the GPL (Which you can do with the BSD as I understand it, you could re-license a derivative or even the original code as you wish).

    Personally I would have left in some detail to show that the code was initially issued under the BSD, I would find that meets with my own moral requirements, I would also include a link to the place the BSD code originated, but there is no requirement to do so. That is the difference between the BSD and the GPL, Previously this code could have been closed (and If BSD versions were lost then it would remain closed) under the GPL it now cannot be closed.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I read the diff correctly.
    1. Re:Strange by Ajehals · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Replying to own post - I need reading comprehension lessons. They shouldn't have removed the permission bit. So yeah, its wrong.

    2. Re:Strange by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 3, Informative
      The following was removed from the license:

      * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
      * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
      * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
      That sentence is pretty clear. Not all BSD code can be relicensed.

      Let me remind you however, that this was the work of an individual who posted to a public mailing list. It hasn't been accepted into Linus's or Morton's tree.
      --
      There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    3. Re:Strange by Ajehals · · Score: 2, Interesting
      really really bad form to reply again to my on post (but since when has that stopped me..), but reading further there is this:

      - * Alternatively, this software may be distributed under the terms of the
      - * GNU General Public License ("GPL") version 2 as published by the Free
      - * Software Foundation. Not sure what should apply now, although in spirit releasing it under the GPL with the original author listed as copyright holder seems OK in spirit and probably OK legally too.. (IANAL)
    4. Re:Strange by fruey · · Score: 4, Informative

      http://lkml.org/lkml/2007/8/29/69

      Someone pointed out the problem and a patch is likely on its way.

      --
      Conversion Rate Optimisation French / English consultant
    5. Re:Strange by supersnail · · Score: 1

      The main gripe the Free Software Foundation is that its practically impossable to violate.
      Witness Microsofts hijacking of the BSD Sockets library and Kerebros security library and protocol.

      So its a little bit rich to complain about replacing a license which states "you can do anything you want " with a license which state "you can do anything you want except steal the copyright".

      Besides all that is really GPL2ed is the very few mods in this particular distribution.
      The original BSD vaersion is still out there.

      --
      Old COBOL programmers never die. They just code in C.
    6. Re:Strange by reidhoch · · Score: 1

      Only the original author can relicense the code.

    7. Re:Strange by gomiam · · Score: 1
      Well, I think the problem lies in different files having different licensing options. It seems ath5k.h, ath5k_hw.c and ath5k_hw.h contain only the BSD license while ath5k_base.c, ath5k_base.h and ath5k_reg.h have both BSD and GPLv2 licenses inside. ath5k_regdom.c and ath5k_regdom.h have yet another license (GPL-compatible BSD license?).

      As it is, some files could have the license text changed, others cannot, IMO. But IANAL.

    8. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The original BSD vaersion is still out there.

      Just like it would if the code was taken properitary.

      It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say?

      Except that's what the GPL tries to do. It's removing freedom.

      And that's what many of us BSDers are against. We want our software to keep freedom. Including the freedom of future developers to keep their own changes private, or get paid for them. Thereby, we also allow the end users the freedom to buy those changes - a freedom they wouldn't have if the code was GPLed, because the incentive to make the changes wouldn't be there.

      As an example, we have Apples operating system, partially made on code I wrote. And I'm a very happy user of it, even though I (or rather, my employer) had to pay for the extra stuff Apple has added. The ability to do so is a freedom I have partially gotten from having released my software under the BSD license.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    9. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The individual that posted it also happens to be the copyright holder.

    10. Re:Strange by QuickFox · · Score: 1

      really really bad form to reply again to my on post No it isn't. You can reply to your own posts all you like. Where do people get this weird notion that it's bad form?
      --
      Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
    11. Re:Strange by 49152 · · Score: 1

      It appears (from above postings) that the one who submitted the patch is the same person that originally wrote the code in question.

      If this is correct then there is no problem here at all and the article is totally meaningless.

      An author is allowed by copyright law to relicense his work at any time, of course the versions distributed with the BSD license would still be valid to use. Effectively this means there now is two versions of this code with different licenses.

    12. Re:Strange by Ajehals · · Score: 2, Informative

      The notion come from the fact that If I had taken the time in the first place I would have been able to post a more accurate and coherent post, rather than having to submit updates with corrections in, not good form.

    13. Re:Strange by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      It's a bit more than that. He removed the BSD licence text, thus illegally changing the licence.

      It's no different to me taking a GPL'ed project and changing it to a BSD licence. My goal is noble in that I think everyone should have the right to steal but that doesn't change the fact that I'm going against the wishes of the author, and breaking the law in the process. It doesn't matter that the BSD version is still out there any more than it would if there was still a GPL'ed version of the Linux kernel floating around but HP decided to fork and relicence under a BSD licence.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    14. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A) Microsoft did not hijack the BSD Sockets or Kerberos. Everyone who had it previously still has it and anyone who wants it now can get it. If you want to use it in your code today, go right ahead.

      Why not, instead of griping, let the person who wrote the code decide? If I write something and couldn't care any less who uses it or why or how or for what purpose but I still want 'credit' for writing it, I can use the BSD license.

      If I don't want anyone to ever be able to use it in a proprietary derivative I'll GPL it. (and then come on Slashdot and pretend that I've 'set copyright on its ear' or the like, ignoring that fact that just like Microsoft and just like BSD all I've done is assert my will over code that I wrote)

    15. Re:Strange by nomadic · · Score: 3, Funny

      No it isn't. You can reply to your own posts all you like. Where do people get this weird notion that it's bad form?

      I agree with you, nothing wrong with that.

    16. Re:Strange by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

      No it isn't. You can reply to your own posts all you like. Where do people get this weird notion that it's bad form?

      I agree with you, nothing wrong with that.
      Well I disagree you bastard.
    17. Re:Strange by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1

      It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say? Except that's what the GPL tries to do.

      What in the world would it mean to keep the "changes" to a GPL'd work proprietary? Keeping the diffs secret?

      (Actually that's an interesting question: at what point to instructions on how to alter a work, become a dervired work?)

      Anyway, you are entirely allowed to take GPL'd code, change it, and use the changed work. The GPL only restricts redistribution of the derivative work.

      Including the freedom of future developers to keep their own changes private, or get paid for them.

      But of course, the GPL allows you to make changes to code and keep them private, and to get paid for changing code. What you can't do it make changes to GPL'd code and make them "half-private", distributing binaries without distributing source; you have to pass on to others the same freedom that you enjoyed. The GPL requires you to preserve freedom, where BSD-style licences allow you to strip it out.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    18. Re:Strange by bentcd · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Except that's what the GPL tries to do. It's removing freedom.
      And that's what many of us BSDers are against. We want our software to keep freedom. Freedom isn't binary, nor can it easily be discussed without qualifiers. In this case, BSD is a case of the developer saying "I want freedom, I want it for myself, and who cares what everyone else does with it" whileas GPL is a case of the developer saying "I want freedom, I want it to rest with the end user of my software and never mind if that causes me some inconvenience in the process". They are different kinds of freedom, resting in different parts of the software ecosystem.
      --
      sigs are hazardous to your health
    19. Re:Strange by sacherjj · · Score: 1

      The problem being that he isn't the ONLY one who wrote the code. Would all authors have to agree?

    20. Re:Strange by 49152 · · Score: 1

      That would make the answer a bit complicated but in most cases, yes all authors must agree.

      Some previous posts suggested he was the only author (this for instance: http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=282341&c id=20396621 ).

      If indeed there was other authors or it is a derivative work then he may not have the right to relicense.

    21. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say?

      Then stop whining and make a new BSD License that prohibits relicensing under conditions that disallow disallowing code to become closed.

    22. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wrong. The original was also GPL2. The author can do exactly what he like and anyone contributing to it has contributed under both licenses. Once again, Theo De Twat opens his mouth without bothering to look into the issue or contact those involved. Is it any wonder people don't touch openbsd?

    23. Re:Strange by abe+ferlman · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Must we do this silly dance again?

      BSD preserves the right to restrict freedoms plus all the other rights GPL preserves.

      GPL restricts the right to restrict freedoms, and otherwise preserves the same rights as BSD.

      In other words, the only freedom GPL takes away is the ability to restrict the freedoms of others.

      Arguing that we should have the freedom to restrict everyone else's freedom is like arguing that we should tolerate intolerance or else we ourselves are intolerant. It's sophistry that pays no mind whatever to the content of the question.

      --
      microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
    24. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Must we do this silly dance again?

      No. So don't add your interpretations either. You won't stop people in either "camp" from being assholes about their views, but not giving them attention would certainly go a long way in restoring civility.

    25. Re:Strange by evilviper · · Score: 1

      BSD preserves the right to restrict freedoms plus all the other rights GPL preserves.

      The BSD license "preserves" no rights, other than the copyright notice itself. On the contrary, it disclaims nearly all rights and restrictions.

      GPL restricts the right to restrict freedoms, and otherwise preserves the same rights as BSD.

      The GPL forces everyone who uses that code, to also disclaim all rights to their code. A notable restriction.

      I don't think anyone would consider selling your code (that has to be linked to open source code), without allowing your end users to re-sell your work to others without paying you anything, "restricting freedoms" of others, though in the strictest of anarchist senses, it is.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    26. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Are still there, it is then shown to have been newly licensed under the GPL (Which you can do with the BSD as I understand it, you could re-license a derivative or even the original code as you wish)."

      Pretty much. The catch is that you have to preserve the attribution notices, basically, you're free to do as you please with the code, on the condition that you acknowledge that it is/was indeed BSD code.

      Depending on the version of the BSD license, that is. To my understanding, early BSD licenses required including a notice attributing Berkeley itself, which made it incompatible with the GPL. Stallman referred to it as an "obnoxious advertising clause" or some such.

      But yes, he was free to relicense, he wasn't free to strip out the BSD notices. That's where the violation kicks in.

      Where it gets tricky, is when some begin to argue that relicensing BSD code under another free, but incompatible license (ie. the GPL) is dirty.

      I'm not one of them, personally, I think it's great that people are using BSD code. That's one of the main points of the license, why reinvent the wheel, when we've got perfectly good code that does that right here, that not only do we not mind your using, we encourage it! But it's always fun to play devil's advocate, isn't it?

      These people could argue that since the GPL is all about sharing code, and giving code back, etc, that relicensing BSD code to GPL, given that it removes the option of sharing code with the initial authors, and that, due to license restrictions, the sharing can go in only one direction, such can also be construe as in spirit, a violation of the GPL as well.

      But then again, it's fairly easy, I think to go around the license restrictions and share code both ways, anyway. Just release initial changes to the BSD version, and relicense and pull over the same changes to the GPL version.

      The BSD side still has their BSD code.
      The GPL side, regardless of what they think of the BSD, still have their perma-free code.
      And most importantly, the communities are working together.

    27. Re:Strange by WNight · · Score: 1

      Consider _Coles Notes_ and other side-by-side with the original text, workbooks.

      They use copyrighted and trademarked names with impunity, as long as they're referenced properly. In much the same way as a tour report of Disney would use similarly protected terms in an obviously allowable way.

      Discussion of a work, at almost any detail, is just that. Breaking it down, showing how you would write the story/program, the methods the author employed, showing how it could be changed, etc... all fine. Even showing how the reader would go about producing more stories/programs themselves by making a few of these changes wouldn't be a copyright violation.

      So, I think the answer is, never.

    28. Re:Strange by abe+ferlman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What? Disclaim all rights to their code? I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that's not what the GPL says.

      --
      microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
    29. Re:Strange by Kjella · · Score: 1

      It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say?
      (...)
      We want our software to keep freedom. Including the freedom of future developers to keep their own changes private, or get paid for them.
      (...)
      As an example, we have Apples operating system, partially made on code I wrote. And I'm a very happy user of it, even though I (or rather, my employer) had to pay for the extra stuff Apple has added.


      So please tell... how can I keep my changes to Apple's OS private, or get paid for them? Oh wait, I can't do that because I can't make any changes at all. It's a bit rich to deny the ability to make any changes at all on something made up mostly of "free" software, wouldn't you say? I never quite understand the BSD logic, because on the one hand you love the ability to create, buy and use proprietary derivates. Yet the freedom you want is anything but in that software. It's in some other software over there, which is pure BSD and comes with source code.

      Maybe it's me that's wierd, but I care about the ability to improve the software I am using and not about the ability to improve software I'm not using. Like in this case, if I were an OS X user I'd care about the ability to improve OS X and not about the abiltiy to improve Free/Open/NetBSD. The more people use GPL software, the more people will improve it. The more people use proprietary derivates over pure BSD, the less people will improve it.

      I think we can discuss politics all day, but I think GPL will win because GPL software attracts GPL users, some of which become GPL developers, which again improves the GPL software. BSD software attracts proprietary derivates, which detract users from BSD to proprietary derivates, who can't become developers of the proprietary derivate. Note that I'm not talking about the "viral" properties of the GPL here, I'm talking about the circle of better software => more users => more developers => better software which is trying to set off a chain reaction. BSD on the other hand seems to continously, yet unsuccessfully try to kill itself.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    30. Re:Strange by evilviper · · Score: 1

      What? Disclaim all rights to their code? I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that's not what the GPL says.

      You get attribution rights, of course, but other than that, you certainly do lose all other possible rights you'd have to that code, under copyright.

      You must make your own code freely available, you aren't allowed to link your own code with GPL-incompatible code, you aren't allowed to stop anyone else from redistributing either source code or binaries of your work, etc., etc. You effectively can't sell your code, because of the above issues.

      What rights can you think of that the GPL leaves you?
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    31. Re:Strange by abe+ferlman · · Score: 1

      You can do anything with it but make it proprietary or let someone else make it proprietary. Use it, share it, display it, perform it, mangle it, build on it, etc. All the stuff you'd want to do with media except that you're neither required to pay nor charge for the privilege.

      --
      microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
    32. Re:Strange by 49152 · · Score: 1

      Not quite that simple, if what is alleged is correct (he removed BSD license statements from the source in a patch). Then this is OK if this only affected source files containing work of his own.

      If the same files contained work from others then the removal of the BSD statements is illegal and constitute copyright infringement, it does not matter one iota whether the files were dual licensed or not.

      The BSD license allows relicensing under another license (any other license, even proprietary closed source), but only the derivative work would be under the new license and anyways the BSD license explicitly forbids you to remove the original copyright statements from the source code even if you relicense.

      The problem is not the relicensing per see, but the removal of the original copyright statements.

      Disclaimer: I have not read neither the patch nor the original source files so I have to take what you said about other authors, dual license and what the article claims at face value.

    33. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you care so much about developers' freedom to do whatever they please with your code, then why no just release it into the public domain (without the copyright clause)? It seems that you take pride when your code is made proprietary, but you get annoyed when it's made Free!

    34. Re:Strange by chromatic · · Score: 1

      What rights can you think of that the GPL leaves you?

      The right to redistribute a derivative work of someone else's copyrighted code.

    35. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      Bullshit.

      The removal of the freedom of relicensing - which is what the GPL does - removes all the freedoms that results from relicensing.

      Ownership of land is one example of "relicensing" of the free use of nature, which e.g. many Indians take/took exception to. Yet, ownership of land create a host of other freedoms - like the ability to have a private space you can rely on over time.

      Trying to make the GPL into "It is only removing the ability to remove freedom and arguing that this in itself destroys freedoms is sophistry" is just the standard persuasive trick of using emotionally laden words to trick yourself and others into not looking at the underlying realities. In other words: Sophistry. Your accusation goes back on yourself.

      Now, if you had decency, you would look over your words and apologize for your silly dance.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    36. Re:Strange by OriginalArlen · · Score: 1

      It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say?
      Except that's what the GPL tries to do. It's removing freedom.

      Sorry, I think your logic is broken here. If you (as a BSD developer) wish to grant complete freedom to all users of your code, including the right to cut a closed proprietary branch or fork - which is my fag-packet understanding of the BSD license - then isn't the GPL simply a special case of "proprietary"? It's someone taking a copy of your code over to their side of the fence and doing with it as they wish. You can't later port new features added under the GPL back into your BSD-licensed system under a BSD license, which is exactly the same result as happens when someone cuts a closed, proprietary branch like MS with the IP stack.

      That said I have no idea whether this really is a breach of the license or not; I'm sure the developers want to do the right thing and will respect the wishes of the copyright owner.

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    37. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      I totally agree that there are different kinds of freedoms in different part of the system; my point was to highlight a different freedom, and show a different perspective. If you misunderstood that, maybe I should have been more explicit about playing up one side - I thought it was obvious.

      I disagree with your definitions of how a BSD developer versus a GPL developer thinks, though. In my experience, it is usually a case of a BSD developer saying "I want freedom for the people that use the software I write. I don't want to restrict what they can do with it, including making their own software from it and doing whatever they want with that. The software I write will be out there by direct distribution, so anybody that want to will be able to use that particular software - selling any derivative of it is only possible when the derivative is enough better that people are willing to pay for the improvements, and then the cost is based on the value of those improvements."

      The GPL user says "I want to force the people that use the software I write to do a particular thing with any software they develop that incorporate it: I want to force them to give away the changes." The rationale, when I've forced most GPLers to go into it, is that they are afraid of "feeling exploited". So, they remove freedom to avoid the risk of a feeling. Then they often go on to rationalize it as "software freedom" - but - when confronted face to face - they end up with "I would feel so bad if somebody else made something useful from my software and I didn't get money, so I'll make it impossible for them to make something useful and make money from it," or he just applies the GPL by routine, or from a misunderstood belief that it creates more free software directly (because he subconsciously thinks that other developers are license agnostic, and that the changes that otherwise becomes proprietary magically is created and given to the public if the code is GPL licensed, rather than the fact that the changes won't be done at all.)

      That's my primary experience with the different philosophies. There are variations, and there are people licensing different ways for different reasons.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    38. Re:Strange by evilviper · · Score: 1

      You can do anything with it but make it proprietary or let someone else make it proprietary.

      Really? I can change the license to something I like more, so long as that license doesn't let anyone make proprietary software?

      I can link with differently licensed code, including, perhaps, my own changes?

      Use it, share it, display it, perform it, mangle it, build on it, etc.

      Again, that's disclaiming all of your rights to it. In fact, public domain is considered disclaiming all right to your code, and yet, the GPL is even more restrictive.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    39. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1

      It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say?
      (...)
      We want our software to keep freedom. Including the freedom of future developers to keep their own changes private, or get paid for them.
      (...)
      As an example, we have Apples operating system, partially made on code I wrote. And I'm a very happy user of it, even though I (or rather, my employer) had to pay for the extra stuff Apple has added.


      So please tell... how can I keep my changes to Apple's OS private, or get paid for them? Oh wait, I can't do that because I can't make any changes at all. It's a bit rich to deny the ability to make any changes at all on something made up mostly of "free" software, wouldn't you say? Actually, you can make changes to Darwin, which is the free software parts.

      I never quite understand the BSD logic, because on the one hand you love the ability to create, buy and use proprietary derivates. Yet the freedom you want is anything but in that software. It's in some other software over there, which is pure BSD and comes with source code.

      Maybe it's me that's wierd, but I care about the ability to improve the software I am using and not about the ability to improve software I'm not using. Like in this case, if I were an OS X user I'd care about the ability to improve OS X and not about the abiltiy to improve Free/Open/NetBSD. The more people use GPL software, the more people will improve it. The more people use proprietary derivates over pure BSD, the less people will improve it. Assuming the proprietary derivates do not submit changes back to the pure BSD branch. Which is a wrong assumption - many (most?) do. The rest of your argument rests on this wrong assumption (and a couple of other assumptions about how developer acquisition happens which are too simplified), so it's fairly much moot.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    40. Re:Strange by bentcd · · Score: 1

      it is usually a case of a BSD developer saying "I want freedom for the people that use the software I write. I don't want to restrict what they can do with it, including making their own software from it and doing whatever they want with that. Ah, but at this point they have stopped being users and have become developers. That's why I'm saying that BSD gives freedom to developers rather than to users. With BSD, I as a user can have someone else tweak a piece of software I am using to fit me better but then risk them holding back their source code, effectively locking me in to them for any future tweaks I would also like. With GPL, the people I have tweak the software need to give me the resulting code and so the next time I need something done to it I have a free choice about who to approach. This because GPL takes freedom away from developers and gives it to users.

      The user who is also a developer is such a marginal portion of the user base that he doesn't get any special consideration. He has the freedom of a user when he is a user and the restrictions of a developer when he is a developer.

      [GPL developers] end up with "I would feel so bad if somebody else made something useful from my software and I didn't get money, so I'll make it impossible for them to make something useful and make money from it," I am sure you get this crowd also, but it seems to me they suffer from some fundamental misunderstandings about what GPL does to their code. Most importantly, there's nothing stopping anyone from profiting off of someone else's GPL software so if that's the goal then they're simply using the wrong license.
      --
      sigs are hazardous to your health
    41. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      I'll reorder because there is a crucial and common misunderstanding here:

      You can't later port new features added under the GPL back into your BSD-licensed system under a BSD license, which is exactly the same result as happens when someone cuts a closed, proprietary branch like MS with the IP stack.

      That we do not get changes from proprietary derivates is a common belief. It's also dead wrong. The BSDs get a LOT of changes back from the proprietary derivates; the SCSI stack of FreeBSD and the Netgraph subsystem would be two large examples. From my own work I could mention NAT daemon firewall passthrough as a simple feature.

      So, passing the code into a proprietary derivate is a large improvement from not having people do anything with the code. The derivate creates changes which have a likelihood of making it back; the non-use creates ZERO likelihood of having changes passed back.

      It's a bit rich to deny people to keep their own changes proprietary, wouldn't you say?
      Except that's what the GPL tries to do. It's removing freedom.

      Sorry, I think your logic is broken here. If you (as a BSD developer) wish to grant complete freedom to all users of your code, including the right to cut a closed proprietary branch or fork - which is my fag-packet understanding of the BSD license - then isn't the GPL simply a special case of "proprietary"?

      Yes, GPL is in my book a special form of proprietary, where the restriction created is different from the common ones, and created to protect emotions rather than to create profit.

      The BSD license does not prohibit the mix with the GPL license; rather, the GPL prohibits the additional restrictions that the BSD license gives, even though they are fairly small.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    42. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      As far as I can tell, you are arguing that the user should not have the freedom to get the change at a discounted cost (because the developer expects further work) by trading his freedom to have another developer do the work? Why? It sounds like some sort of "protect the user from himself" thing?

      Apart from that, developers are the ones that create changes. Without developers, the difference between the GPL and the BSD license is moot. The question, to my mind, is primarily one of what creates the most free software? Assuming rational interaction, I see this as being the BSD license. The primary way that the GPL creates more software is by making the contributing developers feel "safe from exploitation" and "fighting against the machine" and "using the license that makes more free software", which in my are irrational, to a degree fueled by rms' excellent propaganda. The way to counter is with information and rationality, hopefully.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    43. Re:Strange by bentcd · · Score: 1

      As far as I can tell, you are arguing that the user should not have the freedom to get the change at a discounted cost (because the developer expects further work) by trading his freedom to have another developer do the work? It is well established practice in modern democratic thinking that it is necessary to some extent to take away people's freedom to give up their own freedoms (inalienable rights being the most extreme example but my nation's copyright law also has elements of this in it). That the ability to give up the right to the sources for software that you pay for should be seen as some sort of "freedom" worthy of preservation seems strange to me. At best, it can be seen as a necessary evil in some circumstances but it seems counter productive to go to any length to preserve such a practice.

      Apart from that, developers are the ones that create changes. Without developers, the difference between the GPL and the BSD license is moot. The question, to my mind, is primarily one of what creates the most free software? This comes down to ideology though. BSD only creates free software if you consider BSD software to be "free". If you do not (perhaps because freedom for the user is what matters to you, not freedom for the developer) then clearly, BSD does not create free software at all, it just creates software.

      The primary way that the GPL creates more software is by making the contributing developers feel "safe from exploitation" and "fighting against the machine" and "using the license that makes more free software", which in my are irrational, to a degree fueled by rms' excellent propaganda. The two first reasons appear to be very bad ones. If developers want to feel safe from exploitation, they should develop closed source with full copyright protection, or never reveal their software at all. The very nature of information is such that once you release it, you have no real way to prevent it being used to produce nukes, or plan the next holocaust, or whatever. Fighting against the machine is fun, I am sure, but it seems to me that such a desire should be fulfilled by the /type/ of software you write rather than the license you release it under. As for free software, see the above paragraph.
      --
      sigs are hazardous to your health
    44. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      I'm deeply familiar with the laws of "your country", having lived here myself some 33 years (which happen to be since birth) ;)

      As for "not considering BSDed software free software", you can convert BSD license to copyleft by slapping an extra restriction on it, which you are allowed to do, and as long as the end user is using the BSD licensed version, they have the freedom to do this if they want to.*

      Of course, it depends on what your overall goals are. Mine is to create a richer world, overall - one where people have more freedom, in all its variations. One of the important freedoms here is the ability to allocate risk, something that can require the ability to create restraints. To understand this properly requires that you are somewhat schooled in understanding economics, including why we want to pay off risk.

      Whether this include the ability to get source is debatable; I personally think that it would be reasonable to require source access, though not to allow redistribution. For me, an optimal license would often be one that allowed public access after a reasonably short period - somewhere in the range of 3-5 years - and allowed the creation of derivates that was kept proprietary for that period. It strikes a balance between building a "creative commons" to build from and the ability to finance the risk of building products.

      Eivind.

      * I'll note that RMS and most of the rest of the community agree with me in considering BSD free software; the copylefter that disregard this seems to be a student invention, with PVV in the forefront.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    45. Re:Strange by bentcd · · Score: 1

      As for "not considering BSDed software free software", you can convert BSD license to copyleft by slapping an extra restriction on it, which you are allowed to do, and as long as the end user is using the BSD licensed version, they have the freedom to do this if they want to. This presumably makes BSD preferrable to, e.g., closed source since BSD code can at least be salvaged. It does not necessarily make it preferrable to GPL, however.

      Mine is to create a richer world, overall - one where people have more freedom, in all its variations. That really is begging the question though (hah!) - the debate is not whether or not we want freedom, the debate is over what that freedom is or should be and how such a goal may best be reached.

      One of the important freedoms here is the ability to allocate risk, something that can require the ability to create restraints. To understand this properly requires that you are somewhat schooled in understanding economics, including why we want to pay off risk. That we may want something, or that something may be useful or opportune is insufficient grounds upon which to declare it an important freedom. Why is this freedom so important that it should be fundamental to our efforts?

      For me, an optimal license would often be one that allowed public access after a reasonably short period - somewhere in the range of 3-5 years - and allowed the creation of derivates that was kept proprietary for that period. Personally, I'd be quite happy if copyright was abolished altogether. Interestingly, perhaps, the end result would be much closer to a BSD situation than a GPL situation.

      I'll note that RMS and most of the rest of the community agree with me in considering BSD free software; the copylefter that disregard this seems to be a student invention, with PVV in the forefront. The crux of the matter isn't that BSD software isn't free - it clearly is. The primary problems stems from its ability to become non-free. This can be argued make BSD less "free" than GPL since its freedom is so fleeting.
      --
      sigs are hazardous to your health
    46. Re:Strange by OriginalArlen · · Score: 1

      That we do not get changes from proprietary derivates is a common belief. It's also dead wrong. The BSDs get a LOT of changes back from the proprietary derivates; the SCSI stack of FreeBSD and the Netgraph subsystem would be two large examples. From my own work I could mention NAT daemon firewall passthrough as a simple feature.

      Interesting, I didn't know that (as you correctly deduced.) However, the fact that some proprietary users of your code may choose to feed back changes and improvements to the upstream maintainer is missing the point. There is no compulsion on them to do so. Indeed that's the fundamental difference between the licenses, it seems to me: developers using the BSD license do not mind, in principle, someone cutting their own private fork and redistributing it under, say, the MS EULA. That is also the precise difference with the GPL. Programmers who /don't/ want anyone redistributing their code with fewer rights than they received from the original author use the GPL, as it insists all redistribution take place on the same terms as the original distribution. Thus there is no fundamental difference between Microsoft and a GPL freetard like me :) taking BSD'd code. Either party /may/ contribute changes back upstream, but the original author waives any right to complain if the recipient does not do so, as the license does not compel them to do so.

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    47. Re:Strange by abe+ferlman · · Score: 1

      What sort of license did you have in mind?

      You can link to whatever you like- but if you distribute changes you have to preserve the rights you were given to the original code.

      Your idea of "right to your code" seems to mean ownership and control of what other people do with it, the right to tell someone else what to do or not do. My idea of rights to code is what you and everyone else can do with it without having to ask someone for permission.

      --
      microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
    48. Re:Strange by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      We may waive any right to complain about their morals, though we may complain about their lack of enlightened self-interest :) I'll also note that slapping the GPL on BSDed code is pragmatically more dangerous to the BSDed alternative than somebody slapping a proprietary license on the same, as the GPLed variant would to a larger degree compete for the same mindshare. As a such, if we allow shades of grey instead of black and white, it's morally "more wrong" to create a GPLed fork of a BSDed project and not feed changes back than to do a proprietary derivate, as the GPLed version both influence the access to developers more and it is more likely to be ideological rather than pragmatic, and as a such not contribute changes back.

      For a proprietary fork, propagating changes upstream makes good "business sense" - you get somebody else to maintain the changes for you, and the changes will be taken into account for the decision of "official" changes, instead of you having to argue a weak case that that change will damage your proprietary derivate and maintain things yourself. You also get community goodwill and internal goodwill and a feeling among your employees of "doing the right thing". If you are to keep changes proprietary, the strategic value of keeping those changes proprietary have to exceed the tactical value you get from the above. That's seldom the case, yet when it is the case, it's important - and having the ability to do so if necessary has strategic value (removing risk) *even if the ability is never used and you give away all your changes to the community*.

      WRT why people choose the GPL: The problem as I see it is that a lot of programmers choose the GPL for bad reasons - for instance (and this seems to be common) thinking that BSDs don't get any changes back (which it does) and that GPL code will get changes back from commercial companies that it otherwise wouldn't get (which it won't, since the commercial companies will choose to work on other codebases that they CAN keep proprietary). And once people have started choosing the GPL, they will naturally start feeling that this is for good reasons, and will look for reasons to behave that way (attitude adjustment due to behaviour is a basic social psychological phenomenon). So, I'm trying to get more people to know the difference, and choose the GPL when it is appropriate, after having looked through the direct impact of their licensing rather than just their feelings, and to also look at the alternative licenses and how it directly impact things.

      Also, I try to make people look at goals. I work primarily for the twin goals of maximising the amount of free software, and maximising overall freedom for people through making the world more wealthy. For this goal, the use of the BSD style licenses is usually - in my opinon - the best choice. For the original goal of the GPL license - killing off proprietary software, no matter what the cost to free software - the GPL is excellent. The GPL is also good to use for dual-licensing, and in some cases for companies where they want to give away tech but don't want another company to start competing with them, for strategic reasons.

      Overall, I want people to think about these things properly, and really follow their goals - logically, methodically, and efficiently.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    49. Re:Strange by evilviper · · Score: 1

      Your idea of "right to your code" seems to mean ownership and control of what other people do with it, the right to tell someone else what to do or not do. My idea of rights to code is what you and everyone else can do with it without having to ask someone for permission.

      There is only one definition of rights, no matter what you make think.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  5. Those in glass houses... by Phil246 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Im suddenly reminded of this, where linux gpl'd code found its way into BSD via a wireless driver.
    Those in glass houses shouldnt throw stones

    1. Re:Those in glass houses... by moranar · · Score: 3, Informative

      The response from the person involved is at least much more responsible and reasonable than in the earlier incident: http://lkml.org/lkml/2007/8/29/69

      --
      "I think it would be a good idea!"
      Gandhi, about Internet Security
    2. Re:Those in glass houses... by sigzero · · Score: 0

      That is just a stupid argument. If it is wrong it is wrong and should be pointed out and fixed.

    3. Re:Those in glass houses... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's intended. This is part of a tit for tat game that's gone beyond stupid. Check out the details carefully and see.

  6. Uummmmm...... by OneSmartFellow · · Score: 2

    No....

    It appears that someone (Jiri Slaby) doesn't understand what they are allowed to do with regards to the license.

    This would - unlikely - have ever made it into an official patch set.
    No Story Here -- move along.

    1. Re:Uummmmm...... by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      To what license? The one they where using, aka, the GPL v2?

      Or the one that they wheren't using, which the GPL v2 makes no mention of.

      Dual license isn't licensing under BOTH licenses, it's EITHER license.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  7. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by It+doesn't+come+easy · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Is this suppose to be a flame? Assuming not, you would only have to contribute your code IF you distribute Linux yourself. It doesn't sound like you plan to.

    And as to this statement: Furthermore, after reviewing this GPL our lawyers advised us that any products compiled with GPL'ed tools - such as gcc - would also have to its source code released. that's just plain BS. You company needs to hire better lawyers.

    --
    The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
  8. Dual licensed by xaxa · · Score: 3, Informative

    Ignoring moral issues, is there a problem? The source was dual-licensed under GPL and BSD licenses ("Alternatively, this software may be distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License ("GPL") version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation."), so isn't it allowed to release it under just the GPL? IANAL.

    I'll leave moral issues to another thread.

    1. Re:Dual licensed by xaxa · · Score: 1
      OK, http://lkml.org/lkml/2007/8/28/304 says

      Technically the best we can do is to leave the license as dual
      licensed, but keep in that technically that means nothing and is just
      for show, the GPL is what would apply as its derivative work and is
      the most restrictive license. This applies to any other driver in the
      kernel right now with a dual license tag.


      I still don't really understand!
    2. Re:Dual licensed by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      As I understand it, not all of the code was dual-licenced. That's where the problem lies.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    3. Re:Dual licensed by moranar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'll try to explain to the best of my understanding, and someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. Disclaimer: I am not a kernel dev nor a lawyer, just an amateur coder.

      It is possible to dual-license a piece of code. In the case of this kind of stuff, the BSD license is much more permissive than the GPL as to what you can do with the code, so one could arguably take the piece of software under the BSD license and "close" it, developing proprietary software on top of it.

      As the new code is a derivative work, and the new modifications are under GPL v2 (something which is possible as long as you maintain the original caveats along with the original code), those aren't easily appropriated, and become "viral". If one sought to extend that piece of software, he would have to do it under the GPL terms, or find the original code in OpenBSD and fork from that.

      Luis R. Rodriguez in the LKML seems to imply (this is the part I'm not certain about) that for all practical purposes, dual-licensing in this case -and all other similar cases inside the kernel- means "GPL v2 licensing", since the GPL is by far more restrictive on what you can do with the code. This interpretation would be important if the linux kernel code evolved further than the OpenBSD code, since one would rather use the former than the latter, and thus the issue would arise. Otherwise, it would be much safer just to use the BSD-licensed code.

      --
      "I think it would be a good idea!"
      Gandhi, about Internet Security
  9. Jury's Still Out by Bob(TM) · · Score: 5, Informative

    The fact is the original patch post was on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:00:50. Since then, the discussions are ongoing as how best to proceed. Recently, this was posted:

    Date Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:35:05 -0200
    From "Jiri Slaby"
    Subject Re: [PATCH 4/5] Net: ath5k, license is GPLv2

    On 8/29/07, Johannes Berg wrote:
    > On Tue, 2007-08-28 at 12:00 -0400, Jiri Slaby wrote:
    >
    > > The files are available only under GPLv2 since now.
    >
    > Since the BSD people are already getting upset about (for various
    > reasons among which seem to be a clear non-understanding) I'd suggest
    > changing it to:

    yes, please. Can somebody do it, I'm away from my box.

    > + * Parts of this file were originally licenced under the BSD licence:
    > + *
    > > * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
    > > * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
    > > * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
    > > *
    > > * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL
    > WARRANTIES
    > > * WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
    > > * MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
    > > * ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
    > > * WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
    > > * ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
    > > * OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
    > + *
    > + * Further changes to this file since the moment this notice was extended
    > + * are now distributed under the terms of the GPL version two as published
    > + * by the Free Software Foundation
    >
    > johannes
    >

    As mentioned before, it is the LKML, not the Rosetta stone. Things change ...

    --

    The little guy just ain't getting it, is he?
    1. Re:Jury's Still Out by dysprosia · · Score: 2, Informative

      There's still a problem as not all the files are dual licensed (eg drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c). They can't strip the entire license text from those files which are licensed BSD only and relicense as GPL.

    2. Re:Jury's Still Out by Ash-Fox · · Score: 0, Troll

      There's still a problem as not all the files are dual licensed (eg drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c). They can't strip the entire license text from those files which are licensed BSD only and relicense as GPL.
      Did Jiri Slaby write them?
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    3. Re:Jury's Still Out by dysprosia · · Score: 1
      Not all of the source, no. If you RTFS,

      /*
      diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c
      index c345da8..067c837 100644
      --- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c
      +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c
      @@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
      /*
      * Copyright (c) 2004, 2005 Reyk Floeter <reyk@vantronix.net>
      *
      - * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
      - * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
      - * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
      + * This file is released under GPLv2
      */
      If he does not have Reyk Floeter's permission to relicense that code, then that is a license violation. Then again, I don't see any permission info in the patch or notice anywhere saying that he has permission to relicense Reyk's code.
  10. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by tgatliff · · Score: 1

    "bit player"... 24% of all servers shipping with Linux I do not think is a bit player...

    You my sir either do not understand GPL, or you implemented your design quite poorly. Simply using Linux does not constitute needing to "release your source". Also, if you do not want to deal with the GPL, great!! Use BSD instead.... :-)

  11. Legal Weirdness by saterdaies · · Score: 5, Informative

    Basically, you are allowed to link GPL'd code to BSD code. So if I wrote "The boy hit the baseball" under the BSD license and you alter it to "The large boy hit the baseball well" under the GPL, the original statement is still available for use under the BSD license - even in your second statement. As long as they remove your GPL'd addition (the intertwined words "large" and "well"), they are free to use it under the BSD's terms.

    The practical point is that the BSD code, when linked with GPL code, must adhere to the restrictions of both licenses. Most people just say that it has been relicensed under the GPL. That isn't exactly true. From most practical standpoints, the BSD license has so few restrictions that it doesn't matter, but technically that BSD code is still under the BSD license and it's requirements must be met.

    So, that BSD code can easily be linked and intertwined with GPL code, but those few requirements of the BSD license must be met so long as there is any BSD code in the GPL'd derivative work.

    1. Re:Legal Weirdness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, that BSD code can easily be linked and intertwined with GPL code, but those few requirements of the BSD license must be met so long as there is any BSD code in the GPL'd derivative work.

      Gee, that sounds... dare I say it... viral.

      *ducks*

    2. Re:Legal Weirdness by trifish · · Score: 1

      Most people just say that it has been relicensed under the GPL. That isn't exactly true

      How could that post be modded +5 Informative? I'd mod that down if I had points.

      Of course it IS relicensing. If you take a code covered by the BSD and put it under a more restrictive license (GPL) you ARE relicensing the code. And you have no permission to do that under the BSD license. Note again the word more restrictive license. Whether BSD is a subset of GPL is utterly irrelevant here.

      Since the GPL requires that all portions of a program under the GPL must be ONLY under the GPL and no other licenses, it follows that BSD code cannot be integrated in the GPL code (certainly not in the monolithic Linux kernel).

    3. Re:Legal Weirdness by Bluesman · · Score: 1

      He's talking about linking, not changing files. You're not allowed by the BSD license to throw away the copyright notice willy-nilly.

      However, if you use the BSD files unchanged and link with the GPL, the resulting binary is covered by both licenses. Individual portions of the aggregate work (The Program) can be licensed with any compatible licenses, but all restrictions for every license would apply to the resulting binary.

      No matter how you slice it, though, you can't just remove the BSD copyright if you feel like it, even if you replace it with the GPL.

      --
      If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
    4. Re:Legal Weirdness by trifish · · Score: 1

      He's talking about linking, not changing files.

      Surprise, surprise -- I and the GPL are talking about linking too. If you merely want to link a BSD-licensed code with a GPLed code you cannot do that (that's why they had to create LGPL). Because the GPL would require the whole linked result to be under the GPL! And BSD code doesn't explicitly allow relicensing. Sucks, doesn't it.

      Individual portions of the aggregate work (The Program) can be licensed with any compatible licenses

      Again, no. Let me quote from the pertinent part of the GPL:

      "when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License [i.e. the GPL]"

      you can't just remove the BSD copyright

      There is no "BSD copyright". There are two things:
      1) Copyright notice (e.g. Copyright 2007 (c) Zealots)
      2) License notice (the text of the BSD license)

      And, you cannot remove either.

  12. Mod parent up! by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Parent has insightfully noticed his own error. And the error is modded up. So mod the parent up.

    The move is clearly against the BSD license. (Also, combining GPLv2ed code and BSDed code is subtly against the GPL, as the requirement to reproduce the license - as shown and violated here - is an extra requirement compared to the GPL, violating the "no additional restrictions" clause of the GPL.)

    Eivind.

    --
    Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    1. Re:Mod parent up! by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 1

      The move is clearly against the BSD license. (Also, combining GPLv2ed code and BSDed code is subtly against the GPL, as the requirement to reproduce the license - as shown and violated here - is an extra requirement compared to the GPL, violating the "no additional restrictions" clause of the GPL.)

      If so, seems like one that should be removed. I think an exception would be fair for other infinitely redistributable licenses, or a 'restriction' that consists solely of a copyright notice that in no other way infringes the GPL.

    2. Re:Mod parent up! by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 2, Informative
      Giving an exception seems within the spirit of the GPL. Reproducing the copyrights/licenses is actually onerous in many cases, but it doesn't usually interfere much with the end user's ability to change and redistribute the code as source, which is what the GPL seems to mostly be concerned about.

      Personally, I would probably add another GPL poison pill to whatever I released after that, though - to require people to actually contact me and have the code relicensed if they want to hack around with the GPL. And convincing me to relicense would include convincing me that they knew exactly what they were doing and had sound reasons for needing/wanting to use the GPL instead of sticking with a more free license; I see routine licensing under the GPL as damaging, and want to do my little bit against it.

      Eivind.

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    3. Re:Mod parent up! by NekoXP · · Score: 1

      I was always curious about this one. Since the GPL has the 'restriction' that you must duplicate and advertise license under the GPL at every opportunity, in every source file, help text and document associated, how is putting the BSD license in the same code an 'extra restriction'?

      It is at least in the SPIRIT of the GPL - be sure to tell/remind everyone how it is licensed and inform them of their rights and privileges. If you are not allowed to print the BSD license in GPL code because "it's an extra restriction", then dual-licensing code is also disgusting and bad (but, cannot be under the GPL as it gives the author the explicit right to do so) and moving to strict GPL-only is also discouraged (haha, try selling that to Stallman)

    4. Re:Mod parent up! by Ajehals · · Score: 1

      To answer your question, its not a restriction. The problem is that it is then unclear as to how the file is licensed, more to the point, if I were issued a program with two separate licenses included I would assume I could use either and would choose whichever I deemed more useful (although I would take legal advice first..). That hampers the GPL's intent to restrict what can be done with the code, in this case add restrictions to the original license which allows itself to be restricted in a certain manner, it would mean, for example that I could take the code, modify it and then close it (as the BSD allows that), something that the GPL tries to prevent.

      With licensing there must be clarity or you just create a quagmire.

    5. Re:Mod parent up! by Eivind+Eklund · · Score: 1
      My experience makes this restriction much more obvious - I've had to reproduce about 70 licenses for a product, instead of just the two. Well over a hundred pages of licenses, instead of about 2 (with, for the GPL, a written offer of source code).

      For a physical product, this adds a noticeable extra burden. One extra license is no big deal, yet multiply it by a bunch and it becomes obvious.

      Just reproducing the license (without adding the restriction that the distributor HAS to reproduce the license), as in dual-licensing, would not add any extra restrictions. It would also only be possible for the original author, who can say whatever he wants about the license - including modifying the GPL by granting exceptions from it, such as the ability to license under another license. He could also add extra restrictions, as long as he actually only used his own code. (The only thing that could block that would be the license on the text of the GPL itself; as far as I remember that's a free distribution license with no right to create derivatives, which would be fine - as the author would not be modifying the GPL text.)

      --
      Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
    6. Re:Mod parent up! by NekoXP · · Score: 1

      I thought the idea of dual GPL/BSD licensing was to quash the stupid "incompatible license debate".

      If you have dual GPL/BSD licensed code, you can integrate it into any BSD-licensed product (and kill off the GPL portion) as you wish. You can also integrate it into any GPL-licensed product (and kill off the BSD portion) as you wish. As long as one license is honored, it is still meeting the original intent of that license and the original author and more importantly, copyright holder. The licenses are mutually exclusive at the point you start making your derived work. Pick one and run with it or keep both.

      It's just that the Linux kernel prefers GPL, that you would license them that way. The thing the OpenBSD guys hate here, is that the author of some parts of the code has decided to make a derivative work (of his own code..) single-licensed. A license which is incompatible with OpenBSD, NetBSD and FreeBSD which consider GPL a 'contributors' license and nothing that can go into the basic kernel or userland.

      I can understand why Theo is having a shit fit over it, but it's not because the BSD clauses got removed.

  13. Welll by El+Lobo · · Score: 1, Troll
    Perhaps I'm dense or something, but is it me or is the Linuzzz and Open Source field getting more and more legally complicated with every single year? I remember the time when using and programming for Linuzzz was relatively easy, with none or little to care about legally. These days, everywhere you look there are legal flames flying in the sky, GPL version2 vs version3 vs version456 or BDS and the fried chicken.... Maybe it always has been so, but as a developer, I find that sometimes is easier for my nerves to program commercially for Windows than to give out something as OS.

    Before anyone jumps and mods me troll (please feel free to bring down my imaginary karma), I am the developer of one succesfull program that is now open Source under the Mozilla 1.1 license, and yes, you must be carefully when you release something under any OS license. When the program was freeware , but not OS, I used to sleep a lot better than now, when the last 3 monts only I've been battling with the new team about only legal aspects... Oh, well, next piece os OS I release will be on the public domain.

    --
    It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
    1. Re:Welll by JeremyGNJ · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I believe you're correct. This is Microsoft winning. But it's less about Micorosft winning the game, and more about FOSS losing it for themselves.

      "We hate all the legal restrictions and copy rights of closed-source software"...
      "So we're gonna write a bunch of things that are twice as complicated"

    2. Re:Welll by etrusco · · Score: 1

      You're either silly or a troll.
      The chance of infringing a license is just the same whatever license you release your software (under). If you don't use/link any third-party code you're (essentially hehe) free of any infringement. If you use then you can infringe copyright by releasing code under the public domain just right the same. If you're afraid of being ruthlessly massacrated on /. then just be very careful whose copyrights you infringe on ;-)

    3. Re:Welll by Phil246 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you dont want to be modded as troll, dont refer to things in unnecessarily derogatory terms such as "linuzzz"
      I fully agree with the mods decision to mark you as a troll on that basis.

      Programming for windows is subject to the same legal worries as far as licenses are concerned, dont kid yourself that its only an open source issue.

      Yes, you need to put thought into any license you release things under - Does it suit your requirements for one?
      If not, thats the wrong license to use - and theres nothing stopping you from defining a license of your own which does meet them

    4. Re:Welll by El+Lobo · · Score: 0, Troll

      Nahh... I believe that none here gets modded down by saying M$, so why would I get modded down by saying Linuzzz? Oh wait. this is /.

      --
      It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
    5. Re:Welll by oliderid · · Score: 1


      He is neither silly or a troll. He is simply a programmer. and Like most of us licenses are either open source or closed source (ie: Free or pay). We don't give a damn about GPLV2, V3, BSD license, MIT or whatever. All we want is to share some codes. And in some cases we want it to remain free, just to help fellow programmers that may face a similar problems or needed features.

      It looks like a legion of lawyers have suddently invaded our computers. And even if our codes are supposed to be free...It looks like some pundits have find a way to make it "forbidden".

  14. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    mmm... copypasta

  15. Problem solved by ens0niq · · Score: 1
  16. It's about dividing the communities.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The BSD and GPL communities are two groups with much in common and some differences. That's especially true of the OpenBSD people who are very much committed to freedom for their software (and just disagree with the GPL people about how that is best defined). This kind of article is about trying to set up atificial disagreements between those communities so that they don't cooperate well. I write copyleft software and content (GPL/GFDL/CC-SA) but I would mostly relicence it if an important project like OpenBSD or X.org asked for it. I would make that decision based on the value of the project. If I feel that a project is harmful overall then I probably wouldn't.

    The trick is that we have to not be divided and work together sensibly.

    1. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The trick is that we have to not be divided and work together sensibly. Mod parent up +5, Insightful!

      I myself write mostly copyleft software, but if the OpenBSD or any other important project asked for it to be relicensed under BSD, I would certainly dual-license the software.

      All of this senseless bickering is pointless. We as open source and free software developers have most of our goals in common. Let's pool our resources here and work together towards those common goals rather than having all of this stupid infighting.

      You all need to realize that this is exactly what Microsoft and other companies that would like to see us shut up want. Keep us divided, keep us fighting because, and this is going to sound cliche -- but it's truee -- united we stand, divided we fall.

    2. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by PinkPanther · · Score: 5, Insightful

      [OpenBSD people] just disagree with the GPL people about how that is best defined

      It isn't so much a disagreement about how "free" is defined; it is more about who the target of "free" is. The BSD-style folks focus on programmers; the GPL-style folks future end-users. Both want the code to be "free" (can do whatever they desire with the code) to their target.

      --
      It's a simple matter of complex programming.
    3. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by vthokie69 · · Score: 1

      Which is exactly why neither license is necessarily better than the other. They're just different licenses better suited for different applications and different purposes.

    4. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by cbreaker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I guess, but I think that it's because of the GPL that we're even talking about open source software in 2007.

      --
      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    5. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by coryking · · Score: 1

      Talking yes, but take a close look at the licenses of most of your application stack.

    6. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Pojut · · Score: 1

      It's unfortunate, but you are correct. While I personally am a Windows user, I do fully support Open Source efforts...with the way things have been going lately though, open source developers may be the cause of their own destruction. Greed keeps pounding them in the head with a sledgehammer...it used to be they had on hats made of very strong steel...every time greed hits them though, that helmet keeps getting a little more dented...

    7. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Egdiroh · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not 2 schools of thought, it's 3.

      1) BSD: This is good code, we want people to be able to use it, maybe it will work to our advantage, and we want the copyright to stay clear so people who modify our code can't accidentally claim copyright and sue others who started with our code.
      2) FSF: The end user should be able to hack their devices we'll tempt device manufacturers with good code whose license requires the manufacturer to keep the device and code open.
      3) Linus?: I want the best code available for people to use, which means giving away my code, but also getting the improvements of others back.

    8. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Hatta · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      It isn't so much a disagreement about how "free" is defined; it is more about who the target of "free" is. The BSD-style folks focus on programmers; the GPL-style folks future end-users.

      That's not really the case. The GPL's guarantee of continued code freedom is more useful to a developer than an end user for the simple reason that developers code and end users don't.

      The GPL is "more free" than the BSD because the only thing it restricts is the kind of restrictions that can be put on the code. Its restrictions are much like the restrictions found in the bill of rights, they ensure no one can take your freedom. Now tell me, is the US more or less free with the 1st amendment?

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    9. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Xabraxas · · Score: 2

      with the way things have been going lately though, open source developers may be the cause of their own destruction. Greed keeps pounding them in the head with a sledgehammer...it used to be they had on hats made of very strong steel...every time greed hits them though, that helmet keeps getting a little more dented...

      Wow. And I thought the article was sensational. Exactly who is being greedy in this situation? Where is the money in all of this and what the fuck is your analogy supposed to mean?

      --
      Time makes more converts than reason
    10. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Pojut · · Score: 1

      I didn't mean in this situation exactly, I just meant in general...there are so many various distros and so many organizations "selling out" that the entire purpose of FOSS (and the open source Linux movement in general) is starting to get glossed over with a bad reputation (one that is misplaced, IMO)

      People are so eager to get their own version of something out, they forget that if more people worked together on the same stuff, it would turn out better...

    11. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by gral · · Score: 1

      It is the beauty of, and the curse of, Open Source. Everyone wants to see their stuff "succeed". With Open Source, the level of Succeeding is different.

      If people like it, that is usually enough. With places like Google Code, Sourceforge, and Savanna, the cost of creating a new Open Source project is very low. (Read nothing.)

      So why not ;-)

      --
      Scott Carr
    12. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by dedalus2000 · · Score: 1

      i think he's alluding to tinfoil hats :D

      --
      My keyboads not woking popely.
    13. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Chandon+Seldon · · Score: 1

      That's not really the case. The GPL's guarantee of continued code freedom is more useful to a developer than an end user for the simple reason that developers code and end users don't.

      It's possible to look at it this way, but you need to remember two things:

      • Just because someone is a user doesn't mean they don't know how to code.
      • Anyone can hire a programmer to modify some code.

      The second point is far more important than the first. In fact, even people who *can* code will frequently hire someone else to modify a free software program simply because it's easier and more cost effective.

      --
      -- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.
    14. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Bluesman · · Score: 2, Funny

      Stop being obtuse.

      His analogy means that greed is like the flame in a hot forge and that Linux developers are like an anvil, well worn, but with plenty of use still left in them. The idea is that every time the flame of greed is stoked, the forge becomes hotter, causing the air of superiority to expand, which helps nobody. Of course, it all comes crashing down onto the helmet of irresponsibility, which becomes tighter and tighter on the head of progress, eventually causing a massive headache, such that no amount of source code Advil is enough to stop the pain.

      Really, it couldn't be more clear.

      --
      If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
    15. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Can do whatever they desire with the code"

      Except keep it private.

    16. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by GPL+Apostate · · Score: 1

      Well, maybe. But the oldest commmercial CD-ROM with Linux on it that I own is from 1992, and there are two BSD freenixes on the CD, too. One was significantly more mature than the Linux was at the time.

      I don't ascribe the 'salvation' of open source software to the GPL. There are plenty of collaborative projects out there that don't feel the need to be GNU.

      --
      Microsoft says legacy (serial/parallel) ports are bad. They don't obfuscate the hardware enough.
    17. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      You're right, and at this point maybe we're at a saturation point with open source software, and the GPL doesn't matter as much, but I don't think we're quite there yet.

      You gotta believe that if it weren't for the GPL forcing big business to play nice with the code, UNIX and Open Source in general wouldn't be where it is today; and we wouldn't have a viable alternative to Windows.

      The GPL isn't a magic bullet but it's sure helped move things along. In a perfect world, it wouldn't be necessary, but..

      --
      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    18. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      It isn't so much a disagreement about how "free" is defined; it is more about who the target of "free" is. The BSD-style folks focus on programmers; the GPL-style folks future end-users.

      That's not really the case. The GPL's guarantee of continued code freedom is more useful to a developer than an end user for the simple reason that developers code and end users don't. Unless, of course, said developer is not writing code that he wants to (or is able to) release under the GPL. Then the GPLed code is actually slightly less than worthless, whereas the BSD-licensed code can still be used.

    19. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by vthokie69 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the GPL has certainly had a huge impact on the software market. I definitely recognize that. I just think it's petty that people get really hard core religious about the licenses they use. License selection is just another case of what your goals are and what's the best tool to achieve those goals.

    20. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      As one of the "BSD-style folk. I have to pronounce your characterization to be wrong. Some of us do worry about goals, but the vast majority of us just want our software to be free. That's all.

      That's "free" as in the dictionary definition: unencumbered by restrictions. It's not political, not social. It's not about end users versus programmers. Just plain old fashioned freedom. Here's some software, come and enjoy, no strings attached.

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    21. Re:It's about dividing the communities.... by jonadab · · Score: 1

      > it is more about who the target of "free" is. The BSD-style folks focus on programmers;
      > the GPL-style folks future end-users.

      This makes no sense. Users who aren't programmers have no use for source code, except possibly to scroll it by very fast in a command prompt window while trying to convince their clueless friends that they're uberhackers taking down the CIA or something like in the movies. To get any real tangible benefit out of the source code, you have to be able to make meaningful changes to it.

      Freedom for the user means writing the software in a way that empowers the user. In practical terms that means two things: first, making the application configurable, and second, placing the user's desires ahead of other considerations. For example, a web browser that provides freedom to the user will allow pop-up windows to be disabled in general (possibly even by default), and enabled on a per-site basis, at the user's whim. Idiot web developers complain about this, because it takes freedoms they formerly enjoyed and puts them in the hands of the user where they belong.

      Providing source code only provides freedom to people who know how to use source code. Generally speaking we call such people programmers. In principle nearly anyone can take advantage of those freedoms, theoretically, but in practice it is programmers who directly benefit.

      Yes, yes, end users can benefit if the programmers add useful features. But that's a benefit provided by the programmers who add the features, only very indirectly the result of the license; indeed, it's only the result of the license in any way at all if the programmer would otherwise not have made the contribution -- there _are_ programmers who are unwilling to contribute to projects that do not use their favorite license, but they are very much in the minority. And yes, a business has the option to hire a programmer to implement their changes, but the choice of license, BSD versus GPL versus MIT versus whatever, is not the determining factor there, either.

      Eh. Real men release their work into the public domain :-)

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
  17. From the thread after TFA... by Half-pint+HAL · · Score: 2, Informative

    An Anonymous Coward wrote this by the original article....

    How much you will to bet this won't instantly appear on Slashdot

    ;-)

    --
    Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
    1. Re:From the thread after TFA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty tame for an OpenBSD person. I think he was actually pulling for a civil resolution.

  18. Disparity between ideology and practice by Mathinker · · Score: 2, Insightful

    > OpenBSD developers have time and time again claimed "moral superiority" over GNU and Linux due to their adoption
    > of a license that allows code to be used in closed projects. It always was a specious argument, but it's looking
    > all the more absurd today.

    Doesn't this always tend to happen with organized religion? The "our ideology is better/truer/stronger than yours so we are superior and can condescend/oppress/forcibly convert" syndrome?

    (Flashes on the surrealistic scene of the Romans watching RMS fight Theo de Raadt in the Colosseum...)

  19. Regarding comments by deftcoder · · Score: 1

    Seems someone found an earlier article on his blog that is a bit hypocritical. :-)

    https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=636719409 7783716840&postID=4418674504017401530

    --
    Peace sells, but who's buying?
    1. Re:Regarding comments by multipartmixed · · Score: 1

      That's freakin' hilarious.

      Kind of spooky, though. Blogger.com knows who I am... I don't recall ever creating an account with them. Maybe once, on my laptop, 3 years ago... but not from this machine. I wonder what their authentication is tied to?? Google?

      --

      Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
    2. Re:Regarding comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, it uses your google account.

  20. But it *also* says: by ebcdic · · Score: 1

    "Alternatively, this software may be distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License". So it certainly appears that you can choose between distributing it and keeping the notice intact, or distributing it under the GPL. Now it may be that not all the files say that, or that you have to keep the notice anyway, or there's some other complication, but on the face of it it may be that the person who removed the notices thought they were allowed to.

    1. Re:But it *also* says: by Simon80 · · Score: 1

      In the first patch stanza, a permission blurb that makes no mention of the GPL is replaced, and the copyright holder is not Jiri Slaby (i.e. he is removing the license blurb from someone else's code). Also, even with the code that is dual licensed, I don't think it's ok to remove the license specification (one would simply leave it in). IANAL, but it seems that in the case where half a file is new code, the author should add more description saying that some of the code in the file is BSD licensed, but there's a substantial amount of code licensed only under the GPL. Then the binary distribution of the model can be under the GPL, assuming that it still follows the BSD license. The mistake being made here is thinking that two licenses being compatible means that one of them doesn't have to be honoured. Compatible means that both can (and should, in this case) be honoured at the same time.

    2. Re:But it *also* says: by ebcdic · · Score: 1

      This is not a case of licence compatibility, it is a case of dual licensing. You don't have to obey both licences; you can choose which to obey. If (as has been suggested) only some parts of it are dual-licensed, then it may just be that the redistributer didn't notice that.

    3. Re:But it *also* says: by Simon80 · · Score: 1

      Part of the delta is inlined in the article, and at some of the files are licensed solely under a BSD style license, so yes, this is a compatibility issue. In these cases, the license itself states that its text must be left intact in the file, so no sane interpretation of the terms could rationalize removing it.

  21. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by sqlrob · · Score: 1

    That bit sounds remarkably like "Mike Cox" from the ZDNet boards. It just seems like his style.

  22. Is BSD's "author reference" GPL's "restriction"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    To begin with, I just contacted one of the authors and it appears
    this is just miscommunication by some people who didn't bother to ask:
    the code is really dual-licensed BSD and GPL, so that people
    from all sides can get the benefit. The case that wasn't.

    Let's remind that GPL and BSD are different licences.
    You can turn a BSD code into GPL but not vice versa
    and this has some serious implications, since GPL *does not*
    enforce author back reference as long as the code remains GPL;
    short of "the copyright holder is FSF" itself.

    It means that this is a legally valid path:
    BSD code with ref. -> GPL code with ref. -> GPL code without ref.

    It is not clear to me though if BSD's request for author reference
    should be considered "a further restriction" under GPL's regime.
    A lawyer please?

    We all agree that some back reference would be nice,
    if not for credit at least for documentation reasons.

  23. Uummmmm...... Not even close... by Svartalf · · Score: 1

    Considering that Jiri happens to be the original copyright holder of the code in question,
    they DO very probably understand what they are or are not allowed to do with regards to
    the licensing of the code. Since HE does NOT need licensing to produce it, relicense it, etc.
    he can do with his code what he sees fit to do.

    This would likely have made it into an official patch set if it could have been verified
    that Jiri did the change.

    Still, no story really here other than Theo and company being their usual abrasive selves-
    move along seems fitting still...

    --
    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  24. trolling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    BSD types licensing is just evil or plain dumb. Someone may license some code using a BSD license and, sometime later, is obliged to pay for his own code that was used in some gadget by someone else. I think that GNU License is the way to go.

    1. Re:trolling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Someone may license some code using a BSD license and, sometime later, is obliged to pay for his own code that was used in some gadget by someone else.

      How? You already have YOUR code... and under BSD you can use it however you wish.

      What you don't have, is someone else's changes to your code. Too bad, if you preferred GPL, but you're certainly not paying for anything of yours.

  25. OpenBSD Wireless by cyberkahn · · Score: 2, Interesting

    OpenBSD Wireless is something the OpenBSD team does really well. I had a brand new laptop, in which I first installed Ubuntu 7.04. Well, wireless didn't work and after reading all the hacks that would be required I decided to install OpenBSD out of curiosity. Well, everything worked with no hacks required. Kudos to the OpenBSD team who perform such miracles as well as all the other wonderful things they have done for the open source community e.g. OpenSSH.

    1. Re:OpenBSD Wireless by LuSiDe · · Score: 1

      OpenBSD Wireless is something the OpenBSD team does really well.
      Driver-wise; yes. The other BSDs too, as they're porting the code. Feature-wise OpenBSD does not support WPA2 so you're stuck with plain, WEP or IPsec/AuthPF. The latter is a decent implementation but not all 'hardware' routers support IPsec/AuthPF. While this all isn't driver related it certainly is related to OpenBSD wireless hence I disagree with your assessment. OpenBSD 4.2 is supposed to fix the lack of WPA2 support but by the time that is released other OSes will have catched up with OpenBSD, too. Still, nice pioneering work.
      --
      WE DON'T NEED NO BLOG CONTROL.
    2. Re:OpenBSD Wireless by cyberkahn · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the info. Unfortunately as usual I don't have any mod points. ;-)

  26. No... It's about something a little different... by Svartalf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Theo and Company happen to be VERY obnoxious at times. This would be one of them.

    They were guilty of the very thing they're accusing the Linux crowd of back a while
    back and the Linux crowd handled it rather nicely and helpfully, but Theo went ballistic
    and basically got all bent out of shape indicating that they weren't really violating
    the GPL licensing on a kernel driver (they were, but...) and so forth.

    Now, we see a percieved violation being "observed" by Theo and Company
    and in reality, the people in the discussion thread all bent out of shape over it weren't
    paying close attention. The original author did the change- which is legit all the way
    around.

    This isn't about dividing BSD and Linux. This is about Theo and some of the OpenBSD
    crowd being a little more mouthy than usual and simply going off half-cocked.

    Nothing new here- move along.

    --
    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  27. Did you even read the original patch? by sethawoolley · · Score: 5, Informative

    It appears that you can't read this particular patch style. The lines with + mean added, the lines with - mean removed.

    The lines without either mean that's context for the differences.

    If you look at the original patch, no attribution was removed. The attribution was in the context lines.

    It looks like the .c files were handled appropriately and it was merely the .h files that had the license completely ripped out. The .c files were dual-licensed and said you could choose either. They just removed the BSD license as that was "choosing" GPLv2. The .h files are just some interfaces and don't change often anyways, so the BSD license is good enough for them (they should have left those). The .c files are the actual implementation, which would change between operating systems.

    Here's a link to the actual diff as provided in the original article:

    http://lkml.org/lkml/2007/8/28/157

    You'll also note that the dual-licensed code had the committer's copyright notice on it. In some cases it was only his notice, originally. With the data immediately available, maybe he stripped it out in a commit before this one, but they don't seem to be accusing him of that. They are mainly accusing him of ripping out the BSD license from a couple .h files since they didn't have the dual-license notice in them. If they aren't dual-licensed under both, you can relicense as GPLv2, but you have to include the BSD notice under its own terms. The GPL itself even says not just attribution, but the original notices themselves must be preserved. One additionally might say that since the GPL says to preserve the original notice, that even in the dual-license case you must preserve the BSD license in order to initially comply with the GPL, although that's a requirement of the GPL and not a dual-licensing/BSD provision. A dual-licensing (as you can see in this case) clearly says you can pick either, since the word "Alternatively" (e.g. the ath5k_reg.h license) implies if you chose the following path, you can ignore the provisions of the previous path.

    In summary, it looks like a lot of this was nit-picking over how to actually do the license notice preservation, rather than preserving somebody's attribution. I imagine it'll be fixed up in very little time and few people will care about this in more than a day or two.

    1. Re:Did you even read the original patch? by TemporalBeing · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They are mainly accusing him of ripping out the BSD license from a couple .h files since they didn't have the dual-license notice in them. If they aren't dual-licensed under both, you can relicense as GPLv2, but you have to include the BSD notice under its own terms.
      DISCLAIMER: IANAL

      Actually, so far as I am aware, header files cannot be copyrighted (at least in the U.S.), so the licensing of them, and thus the complaint, is moot (at least in the U.S.).

      This is one point I remember from the SCO v. IBM litigation. SCO was accusing IBM of having included the ELF header files in Linux; however, it as pointed out on Groklaw that header files are not copyrightable, so it was not a valid accusation; or something along those lines.

      Some info from Groklaw:

      When SCO first raised the ELF claims, the Linux community hooted, because header files are normally not considered part of the kernel and because they are essentially necessary, like 1, 2, 3 is necessary to count to ten and there is no other good way to get there (cf. Groklaw's July 22, 2004 article A Tall Tale About ELF,".) So no one here believed that ELF was subject to copyright, and in fact we burst out laughing. The rules for copyright on software, as you probably know, aren't exactly the same as for a novel. And in general terms, if there is only one way to do an essential step in computing, copyright won't apply.

      Headers brings to mind a few more principles:
      • Material that is dictated by the compatibility requirements of other programs with which it is designed to interact is unprotectable....
      • Material that is dictated by programming standards is unprotectable....
      • Material that is dictated by standard programming practices is unprotectable....
      • Material that is dictated by computer hardware design standards is unprotectable....
      • Material that is dictated by the practices and/or demands of the industry being serviced is unprotectable.
      (formatting added)
      Any how...IANAL - so check with one that is to know for sure; but that's my thought. Take it with a grain of salt.
      --
      Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
    2. Re:Did you even read the original patch? by WNight · · Score: 1

      It's like a phone book. The numbers aren't copyrightable, like the actual statements in a mechanically generated header file. They're simply the simplest representation of certain facts.

      However, the cover of the phone book, and any articles in it, would be copyrighted. As would the page layout and any other creative works.

      Any specific header file could have comments in it, could be formatted manually, etc. That specific .h file *would* be protected, but like a phone book you could always just copy the data without worry.

    3. Re:Did you even read the original patch? by tigga · · Score: 1
      It's like a phone book. The numbers aren't copyrightable, like the actual statements in a mechanically generated header file. They're simply the simplest representation of certain facts.


      Sometimes header files like this, but often they include macro and data structures, which could be complex. Those rather copyrightable.

    4. Re:Did you even read the original patch? by tigga · · Score: 1
      The idea was to use code both in BSD projects and Linux projects. Stripping BSD license just effectively forks code.

      BTW BSD license should remain in code whole, "attribution" is not enough.

      * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
      * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
      * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
  28. They Killed BSD !! You Bastards !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Stan: They Killed BSD !!

    Kyle: You Bastards !!

  29. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by El-Wrongo · · Score: 1

    I think we need a new tag: Astroturfer

  30. Open Source the biggest violator of OS copyright? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wouldn't be shocked to learn OSS projects are the biggest violators of OSS copyright.

    I know a few years back I took some code from a GPL project and ended up releasing my software as MIT. No one till this day has brought any objections. I am sure many other smaller projects do the same thing... no one checks and the chances of being sued are unlikely as the community is not commercially minded.

  31. -MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by mwvdlee · · Score: 3, Informative

    This line (taken from the diff in the link) says it all, really.

    The original implementation was dual licensed BSD/GPL.

    The submitter changed some bits and decided to pick the GPL license (both would have been allowed).

    Now the submitted code is GPL-restricted.

    It's a pretty pathetic thing to do, cutting off the source from any usefull changes, but perfectly legal nonetheless.

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    1. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1, Insightful

      > It's a pretty pathetic thing to do, cutting off the source
      > from any usefull changes, but perfectly legal nonetheless.

      As a pro-BSD and anti-GPL guy, I don't like this either, but I think it's instructive.

      First, I think it demonstrates the double standard going on in the license battle. The BSD license is explicitly supposed to allow this, and their reaction simply shows that they aren't so dedicated to the spirit of the license as they like to pretend.

      Second, I think it ultimately demonstrates the failures of the GPL. Now that the driver is under GPL, enhancements made to the BSD-licensed version don't automatically propagate to it; they have to be manually incorporated. The converse applies; the GPL modifications don't propagate to the BSD version without manual incorporation, and since that incorporation would carry the GPL, it won't happen. This is effectively a code fork, and as ESR has quite rightly pointed out (thought not in so few words) "code forks are bad". Clearly, the GPL community has not historically done so well on a wireless driver, so I'd bet the BSD version is eventually going to eclipse the GPL version. This evidences the simple fact that the GPL doesn't attract high-quality developers as readily as a BSD licensed project does.

      I don't think the code is cut off from useful changes; I think it's actually a good idea to do this kind of apples and apples comparison of the two licenses. Which version ultimately wins and why? I'm betting on BSD, because I think experienced professional developers - the kind most qualified to enhance and extend a wireless driver - dislike the GPL and will avoid it when possible.

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    2. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >This evidences the simple fact that the GPL doesn't attract high-quality developers as readily as a BSD licensed project does.

      Each project sucks in certain areas and shines in others. In OpenBSD, wireless shines. In Solaris, ZFS shines, in Linux... well, whatever, there is probably something too.

    3. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by evilviper · · Score: 1

      The original implementation was dual licensed BSD/GPL.

      The submitter changed some bits and decided to pick the GPL license (both would have been allowed).

      Using BSD-licensed code under the GPL is just fine.

      CHANGING OR REMOVING A COPYRIGHT NOTICE is illegal, one of the very few clear restrictions imposed by the BSD license. It's one of the things you just don't ever do.
      --
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    4. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by hardburn · · Score: 1

      This evidences the simple fact that the GPL doesn't attract high-quality developers as readily as a BSD licensed project does.

      I highly doubt that the license has anything to do with the quality of developers. As a converse to your example, OpenBSD sat without SMP support for an embarrassingly long time, and only got it once multi-core CPUs made it almost a necessity. But I don't think that had anything to do with the BSD license.

      OpenBSD has better wireless support because the developers made a concentrated effort to get wireless drivers. I see no reason to read more into it than that.

      Supposedly, the BSD license encourages sharing of code more than the GPL does. That's why BSD people are OK with Microsoft using a BSD-derived TCP/IP stack. Nor is this the first time BSD code has been borrowed by Linux (I believe the /dev/random driver comes from OpenBSD). To say that Linux shouldn't be allowed to use OpenBSD wireless drivers looks childish and hypocritical.

      --
      Not a typewriter
    5. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > I highly doubt that the license has anything to do with the quality of developers.

      And that's why I'm glad we have this situation. Because it does, and I've been saying it for years, and the only argument anyone's ever been able to mount is that we don't have an apples to apples comparison.

      Well, now we do. Patience; I know I'm right, and deep down YOU know it, too. It's just a matter of time.

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    6. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by hardburn · · Score: 1

      We do have apples to apples comparisons, though. Linux has surpassed OpenBSD in some areas, and OpenBSD has surpassed Linux in other areas. This is simply to be expected in comparisons with any sufficiently complex pieces of software. I don't think this situation will prove your theory any more than the data points we already have.

      --
      Not a typewriter
    7. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up and grandparent down. Removing the licence is illegal, adding the GPL is fine, removing the BSD is not.

    8. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      The original implementation was dual licensed BSD/GPL.

      The submitter changed some bits and decided to pick the GPL license (both would have been allowed).

      Using BSD-licensed code under the GPL is just fine.

      CHANGING OR REMOVING A COPYRIGHT NOTICE is illegal, one of the very few clear restrictions imposed by the BSD license. It's one of the things you just don't ever do. But the copyright notice wasn't removed, only the BSD license information was removed. Attribution is still there. And since the original code was dual-licensed GPL or BSD, that means you can choose to use it under ONE of those licenses, right? And if you choose to use it under the GPL, then you're not required to keep the BSD license text. Right?
      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    9. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > We do have apples to apples comparisons, though.

      Actually, we don't. We've never had a BSD project forked into a GPL project without significant alterations to the code. Ever.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    10. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by evilviper · · Score: 1

      But the copyright notice wasn't removed, only the BSD license information was removed.

      The BSD license is part of the copyright text.

      And if you choose to use it under the GPL, then you're not required to keep the BSD license text. Right?

      Completely wrong. You NEVER change an existing copyright notice. You may chose whichever license you want to use, but that absolutely doesn't extend to changing the copyright notice.
      --
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    11. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      Now that the driver is under GPL, enhancements made to the BSD-licensed version don't automatically propagate to it; they have to be manually incorporated

      Erm, what? The GPL version could be automatically synced against the BSD one, the BSD license allows it.

      --
      I am trolling
    12. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      Linux... well, whatever, there is probably something too.
      Well.. Linux is more likely to support your consumer hardware :P
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    13. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      Okay, pay attention.

      If ANY change is made to the GPL version, the BSD version can't incorporate it because of the GPL.

      So when a later change is made in the BSD version, you can't just sync it because there are GPL-only changes.

      Now, if the GPL version isn't going to have any changes, ask yourself this:

      Why relicense it?

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    14. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by stinerman · · Score: 1

      The BSD license is part of the copyright text.
      No it isn't. The "copyright text" (by which I assume you mean the statement that shows the file is copyrighted) is:

      * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
      * All rights reserved.


      In this case, the "ath5k_base.c" file, which the person who changed the license holds the copyright anyway. Let's look at each of the files, bearing in mind header files are not eligible for copyright.

      "ath5k_base.c" -- copyright held by the person who changed the license (This is OK)
      "ath5k_base.h" -- not eligible for copyright (This is OK)
      "ath5k_hw.c" -- copyright jointly held by Slaby and Nick Kossifidis, assuming he granted the license change this is permissible, otherwise a copyright infringement (Grey area)*
      "ath5k_hw.h" -- not eligible for copyright (This is OK)
      "ath5k_regdom.c" -- copyright held by Reyk Floeter, assuming he granted the license change this is permissible, otherwise a copyright infringement (Grey area)*

      When any file is dual licensed, you have to abide by one of the licenses. The BSD license requires you to not strip out the BSD license notice. The GPL requires a few more things. One of the things the GPL does not require is for you to keep the BSD license notice. The license notice is not part of the copyright notice anymore than the FBI warning on your CDs/DVDs is part of the copyright notice.

      * Some /.ers seem to think all the code was dual licensed. It doesn't look that way from the copyright notices in the headers, but I've been wrong before.
    15. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Clearly, the GPL community has not historically done so well on a wireless driver, so I'd bet the BSD version is eventually going to eclipse the GPL version. This evidences the simple fact that the GPL doesn't attract high-quality developers as readily as a BSD licensed project does. Clearly this is an extremely ridiculous conclusion to draw from a single data point, especially considering there are several other wireless drivers where GPL community has historically done much better than BSD crowd.

      Either that, or crappy flamebait.
    16. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      Now, if the GPL version isn't going to have any changes, ask yourself this:

      Why relicense it?

      Answer: so that it's under the same license as the rest of the kernel, which makes managing linux licensing easier.

      --
      I am trolling
    17. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > so that it's under the same license as the rest of the
      > kernel, which makes managing linux licensing easier.

      At the expense of managing the CODE?

      I call shenanigans.

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    18. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1

      How will it make it any harder to manage the code? Any changes will need to be imported from BSD anyway, since it's highly unlikely that the BSD people have write access to the linux tree.

      --
      I am trolling
    19. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      Because changes from the Linux team can't go into the BSD tree anymore (GPL license is incompatible). So the Linux team can't actually change the code in their tree, or they'll have to do a full integration when the BSD team makes a change. They have to go to the BSD team for any changes, and then see to it that the changes are imported.

      And the end result is... squat. They just work harder for nothing.

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    20. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      Because changes from the Linux team can't go into the BSD tree anymore (GPL license is incompatible). So the Linux team can't actually change the code in their tree, or they'll have to do a full integration when the BSD team makes a change.

      But that'd be the case anyway; OpenBSD people don't sync their code from external sources. If there was a really important change they could submit a patch to the BSD folks...just like they can now.

      --
      I am trolling
    21. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > But that'd be the case anyway

      Then why change the license?

      It seems to me that the license is changing EXCLUSIVELY in the hope that some future developer will be too lazy or ignorant to check the origin of the code, and his changes will then go under the GPL because he simply didn't know they could go under the BSD license.

      I think that sucks, and if you don't see why it sucks, you're an idiot.

      --
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    22. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      Then why change the license?

      As I said before, to simplify the licensing of linux.

      It seems to me that the license is changing EXCLUSIVELY in the hope that some future developer will be too lazy or ignorant to check the origin of the code, and his changes will then go under the GPL because he simply didn't know they could go under the BSD license.

      Anyone who doesn't realise that would know nothing about licensing anyway. One of two things will be happening: a) The linux tree will simply be a copy of the BSD tree, in which case any patchers will be redirected to the BSD folks, who will tell them it needs to be BSD licensed, or b) the linux tree will be maintained separately, in which case any patches that the BSD folks want, they can ask the authors for. If it was merely a case of not realising, the author will be happy to relicense under BSD.

      I think that sucks, and if you don't see why it sucks, you're an idiot.

      Ah yes, the crux of internet debate. Go on, why does it suck, in practice?

      --
      I am trolling
    23. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > As I said before, to simplify the licensing of linux.

      Putting BSD software under GPL doesn't make things simpler. BSD licensing is about as simple as you get, and the GPL is arguably the most complicated open source license on the planet.

      > Anyone who doesn't realise that would know nothing about licensing anyway.

      I am of the opinion that if your license strategy requires your volunteer contributors to understand the legal nuances of software licensing before they can make an informed decision on how and where to contribute, you are a sadistic asshole.

      > Ah yes, the crux of internet debate. Go on, why does it suck, in practice?

      There are freedoms under the BSD license that don't exist under the GPL.

      Removing them to make license management easier is just dickhead behavior.

      "Your freedom is inconvenient to me. I will remove it."

      That sucks, and if you don't know why, you're an idiot.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    24. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      Putting BSD software under GPL doesn't make things simpler. BSD licensing is about as simple as you get,

      Yes, but "Linux is under the GPL" is simpler and easier than "Linux is under the GPL, except for module X which is BSD".

      and the GPL is arguably the most complicated open source license on the planet.

      and the GPL is arguably the most complicated open source license on the planet.

      I can't let that one slide; just compare it to the CDDL, or the APL (to pick two fairly arbitrary examples), with their great big definition sections.

      I am of the opinion that if your license strategy requires your volunteer contributors to understand the legal nuances of software licensing before they can make an informed decision on how and where to contribute, you are a sadistic asshole.

      Your statement is at once entirely true and utterly irrelevant; if someone knows nothing about software licensing, how is their contribution falling under GPL any better or worse than it falling under BSD?

      There are freedoms under the BSD license that don't exist under the GPL.

      Removing them to make license management easier is just dickhead behavior.

      But what freedom has been removed in practice? The freedom to put your own contributions under the BSD license? Nope, still there. The freedom to contribute your own changes to the BSD branch as well? Nope, still there, you are the copyright holder after all. The freedom to contribute another developer's changes to the BSD branch against their will? That was never there anyway, they could make their contributions GPL only and then you wouldn't be able to port them to BSD. The freedom to port the driver to some other OS with a GPL-incompatible license, say Solaris? Nope, still there, you just start from the BSD copy. The freedom to use the entire Linux kernel under BSD? Never existed. So go on, what freedom has *actually* been lost here?

      --
      I am trolling
    25. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > Yes, but "Linux is under the GPL" is simpler and easier than
      > "Linux is under the GPL, except for module X which is BSD".

      But module X was dual-license GPL/BSD. It was still under the GPL. You could say "Linux is under the GPL" already, and if you had a stick up your butt about it you could add "but some portions are also available under other licenses". Removing the BSD license doesn't actually change anything for anyone. What changes things is when authors contribute changes under the GPL, contaminating the Linux version and preventing those changes from going into the BSD version.

      This is a Bad Thing. Nothing good will come of it. The best case scenario is that the BSD and Linux teams will have to do more work keeping the code synchronised. Indeed, the only thing that can PREVENT that work is if nobody ever contributes to the GPL version, in which case it DOESN'T MATTER what the license is.

      > if someone knows nothing about software licensing, how is
      > their contribution falling under GPL any better or worse
      > than it falling under BSD?

      Premise: freedom = good.

      GPL = less freedom.

      Ergo, GPL = less good.

      That simple.

      > But what freedom has been removed in practice?

      I am not your lawyer. If you really want to know, go get one. Honestly, I think you're just trying to make me waste time explaining a complicated subject.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    26. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      But module X was dual-license GPL/BSD.

      Which is unarguably more complicated than module X being under the GPL.

      Removing the BSD license doesn't actually change anything for anyone.

      So why is it a problem?

      What changes things is when authors contribute changes under the GPL, contaminating the Linux version and preventing those changes from going into the BSD version.

      But keeping the dual license would in no way have prevented this.

      Premise: freedom = good.

      GPL = less freedom.

      Ergo, GPL = less good.

      That simple.

      If you hold that good and freedom are the same, then why BSD license rather than public domain? See, the Linux folks think the GPL is better than BSD (and I agree with them), so they can equally well state that it is *better* for the contributions of those who know nothing about software licensing to fall under the GPL.

      > But what freedom has been removed in practice?

      I am not your lawyer. If you really want to know, go get one. Honestly, I think you're just trying to make me waste time explaining a complicated subject.

      Bollocks you do. You're just making excuses because you know full well no meaningful freedom has actually been removed.

      --
      I am trolling
    27. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > So why is it a problem?

      Because it removes the recipient's knowledge of his licensing options, under the rather likely assumption that he's not going to invest much time in researching it, because the GPL crowd doesn't want anything to be released under any other license ever. Because they are dicks.

      > But keeping the dual license would in no way have prevented this.

      Prevented? No. But submitting a change with the note that your change is only GPL and not BSD would make you look like a dick, so NOBODY WOULD DO IT. The hacker culture thrives on merit and reputation. Nothing else matters. That's the only reason the GPL has any supporters at all.

      > If you hold that good and freedom are the same,

      This is not calculus. The operation is not commutative. While "freedom = good", it does not follow that "good = freedom".

      > then why BSD license rather than public domain?

      To secure proper attribution for the original author(s). Your useful freedom is not infringed by this requirement.

      > You're just making excuses

      I have a little time right now, so let me distill things a little.

      The GPL needlessly infringes your right to keep your changes to yourself.

      The BSD license recognises that when you write your changes, they are yours, and you can do whatever you want with them. This is a useful freedom. It means that if I have a patented algorithm I licensed from someone else, which I can't legally distribute or license, I can use it in my changes and still honor my existing commitment to keep it confidential. No matter what your opinion of this, that's a freedom that I have under the BSD license, and it has value.

      I don't have that freedom under the GPL. The GPL says I can't make those changes unless I give out my code, which I can't legally do. If you ask the FSF what this means, they'll happily explain that this means you can't use GPL code and that's what you get for using patented algorithms you donkey-raping shit-eater. Then they'll all burst out in a chorus of "Uncle Fucker" and start quoting South Park until someone inevitably quotes Monty Python and they have a collective nerdgasm.

      Meanwhile, those of us who work for a living will be stuck reinventing the wheel because some dumbass thought the GPL was better... but couldn't explain why if you paid him.

      Probably because he's never had that experience.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    28. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      Because it removes the recipient's knowledge of his licensing options, under the rather likely assumption that he's not going to invest much time in researching it, because the GPL crowd doesn't want anything to be released under any other license ever.

      What use is the extra option the recipient gets though? If they're looking to submit changes under the BSD license, they can still do that. If they're looking to use linux under the BSD license, they still can't do that. If they're looking to implement the driver for another OS, they will spend time researching it.

      Prevented? No. But submitting a change with the note that your change is only GPL and not BSD would make you look like a dick, so NOBODY WOULD DO IT.

      That's not the case, because as the facts have come out it looks like that's what actually happened here - someone made substantial contributions to the driver, wanted them to be GPL-only, and so changed the license of the driver to be GPL. Also see e.g. ffmpeg's ac3 encoder; people can and do make GPLed contributions to projects under more liberal licenses.

      To secure proper attribution for the original author(s). Your useful freedom is not infringed by this requirement.

      You can't deny that the freedom to falsely claim authorship of a piece of code (e.g. when selling it to a client) is a useful one. Sure, it's the freedom to be a dick - but so is the freedom to redistribute under a propriety license that you get with BSD.

      The BSD license recognises that when you write your changes, they are yours, and you can do whatever you want with them. This is a useful freedom. It means that if I have a patented algorithm I licensed from someone else, which I can't legally distribute or license, I can use it in my changes and still honor my existing commitment to keep it confidential. No matter what your opinion of this, that's a freedom that I have under the BSD license, and it has value.

      How so? You wouldn't be able to distribute your changes, so you wouldn't need any license - you can make the changes and keep them to yourself just as well under GPL as BSD.

      --
      I am trolling
    29. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > What use is the extra option the recipient gets though?

      None whatsoever, if he's a GPL bigot who doesn't understand why anyone would prefer BSD.

      If, however, he's smart enough to realise that the GPL is bad for everybody and needs to die... that's a very useful freedom indeed.

      > as the facts have come out it looks like that's what actually happened here

      And look, it's controversial enough to be news on Slashdot. Don't you suppose MAYBE that means this isn't quite the trivial matter you seem to think it is?

      > You can't deny that the freedom to falsely claim authorship of a piece
      > of code (e.g. when selling it to a client) is a useful one.

      No, but I can deny that you have that freedom in the first place, on the grounds that it's an illegal practice.

      > you can make the changes and keep them to yourself just as well under GPL as BSD.

      Oh, I'm sorry. Did I not make it clear that I've licensed the right to distribute compiled binaries of the algorithm? I keep forgetting that most GPL bigots know squat about how real programming works in the real world.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    30. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      None whatsoever, if he's a GPL bigot who doesn't understand why anyone would prefer BSD.

      If, however, he's smart enough to realise that the GPL is bad for everybody and needs to die... that's a very useful freedom indeed.

      Again, what useful freedom does he *actually* have? The freedom to feel all warm and fuzzy inside because one tiny part of his GPLed kernel isn't GPLed?

      And look, it's controversial enough to be news on Slashdot. Don't you suppose MAYBE that means this isn't quite the trivial matter you seem to think it is?

      Of course; that's the reason I'm bothering to discuss it. But so far I've yet to see one thing to convince me it's anything other than BSD zealots making a fuss about nothing.

      No, but I can deny that you have that freedom in the first place, on the grounds that it's an illegal practice.

      Then there's no need for the BSD license to prevent it. If the restrictions in the BSD license don't actually remove any useful freedoms, then what is the point in them?

      Oh, I'm sorry. Did I not make it clear that I've licensed the right to distribute compiled binaries of the algorithm? I keep forgetting that most GPL bigots know squat about how real programming works in the real world.

      So they'll be dependent on you for binaries, unable to fix bugs they come across or use your code for anything else. Most GPL folks will tell you exactly why they chose the GPL - because they want no part in that situation, and don't want their code to help you place your users in it. And don't you think it's more than a little hypocritical to be using someone else's code for something where the users won't see its original, liberal license, when this is the same thing you're criticising linux for?

      --
      I am trolling
    31. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > Again, what useful freedom does he *actually* have?

      The freedom to incorporate the code with his own code however he deems appropriate.

      Under the BSD license, I get to decide whether my code goes into the open source world or not. If I don't want it there, I don't have to put it there. I wrote the code, so it's my decision what to do with it. I can't take the BSD code off the internet; the genie's out of the bottle. It's simply impossible for me to take anything away from the community. The only thing I can possibly do is add more code, which - being mine - is something I ought to license the way *I* want to license it.

      Under the GPL, I don't get that choice. If I use so much as one line from a GPL project, my entire project MUST go under the GPL unless I jump through hoops to turn it into two projects - one that has to be GPL because it contains that line of code, and another that doesn't because it technically doesn't incorporate any GPL code. The GPLv3 is trying very hard to fix that, because RMS is deeply offended at the idea that I might not want to give my work away for free. He wants to make sure I don't get to use any GPL code at all unless I put the GOOD stuff under the GPL, too. He doesn't like it when I have things he doesn't get to have.

      > I've yet to see one thing to convince me it's anything other than
      > BSD zealots

      That's all right. You'll grow up one day.

      > If the restrictions in the BSD license don't actually remove any
      > useful freedoms, then what is the point in them?

      They remove a useless freedom: the freedom to take away the names of contributors altogether. This doesn't benefit the person who does it at all, but it damages the people whose names are removed. The BSD license prevents that damage.

      > So they'll be dependent on you for binaries, unable to fix bugs
      > they come across or use your code for anything else.

      You don't seem to understand the trade here.

      There is no open source alternative to the binary I produce. I don't have the right to place the code into the open source world; the rights don't belong to me. I've simply licensed them from the owners.

      The choice is not between a closed-source binary and an open-source project. The choice is between a closed-source binary and NOTHING.

      I don't like software patents. I think they're wrong. But I don't get to choose the way of the world. When the algorithm my product needs is patented, I have no choice but to license it. That's the law. And when that license says I can't distribute the source code, that's the law, too. When you put your code under a license that I can't legally combine with this algorithm, you don't force me to fight software patents. You simply force me to reinvent the wheel and write code that does the same thing yours does.

      Now, if you DIDN'T make me spend two hundred hours designing, building, testing, and debugging code you've already written... what ELSE might I have chosen to do with that two hundred hours?

      Do you suppose I might have been grateful, and tried to give something back to the community?

      I wonder. And so do you, because I can't use your GPL code, so I'm not grateful to you. Instead, I resent that you've forced me to write all that code myself with your patent-incompatible licensing. I didn't want to use patented code. It wasn't my decision. You've punished me for something that isn't my fault, that I don't control, and that I can't change. You suck.

      > don't you think it's more than a little hypocritical to be using
      > someone else's code for something where the users won't see its
      > original, liberal license

      They do. All the contributing projects are listed in the copyright information, even though I'm not required to do that, because that's the Right Thing.

      Oddly enough, many people do in fact /choose/ to do the Right Thing, even when you don't force it on them.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    32. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      The freedom to incorporate the code with his own code however he deems appropriate.

      But they have that anyway, because the BSD version of the code is still out there; if they're looking for a BSD-licensed driver for that particular card, they'll find it.

      They remove a useless freedom: the freedom to take away the names of contributors altogether. This doesn't benefit the person who does it at all,

      Then why does it need to be stopped? If it didn't benefit the person who did it, no-one would do it.

      I don't like software patents. I think they're wrong. But I don't get to choose the way of the world. When the algorithm my product needs is patented, I have no choice but to license it. That's the law. And when that license says I can't distribute the source code, that's the law, too. When you put your code under a license that I can't legally combine with this algorithm, you don't force me to fight software patents. You simply force me to reinvent the wheel and write code that does the same thing yours does.

      Or to license the patent with the ability to distribute the source; if there is enough GPL code you want to use that it would be cheaper to do that than rewrite all that code, then the rational thing for you to do is license the patent. Which is the point.

      Now, if you DIDN'T make me spend two hundred hours designing, building, testing, and debugging code you've already written... what ELSE might I have chosen to do with that two hundred hours?

      Do you suppose I might have been grateful, and tried to give something back to the community?

      It's possible, but it seems unlikely. You're already displaying a sense of entitlement towards my code that I wrote, costing you nothing - I didn't make you spend those two hundred hours, you spent them because you wanted a program that did whatever it is. You're no worse off than if I'd never written my code.

      --
      I am trolling
    33. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by CDarklock · · Score: 1

      > if they're looking for a BSD-licensed driver for that particular
      > card, they'll find it.

      But they're not. They're looking for a driver. They find the GPL version, which now has no mention of the BSD version, and they STOP LOOKING. This is basic human nature.

      > Then why does it need to be stopped?

      Because it damages the people whose credit is removed.

      > If it didn't benefit the person who did it,
      > no-one would do it.

      Removing the BSD license from this code dcoesn't benefit the GPL version in any way. It simply damages the BSD version. People are assholes, and will do things just to make other people's lives difficult. Usually out of jealousy and fear. Indeed, the entire point of the GPL is to make your life difficult if you don't release YOUR code under the GPL, too. That's about as petty and self-absorbed as it gets.

      > Or to license the patent with the ability to distribute the source

      I don't have any control over that. The patent owner controls that. If he says "no", that's the end of it.

      > You're already displaying a sense of entitlement towards my code that I wrote

      Rather the opposite, actually. I'm denying that YOU are entitled to MY code. My code belongs to me, just like yours belongs to you. If you choose to give yours away, and you did, then I should be able to use it. That shouldn't mean that I have to give mine away, too. I should be able to make my own decision about whether to give mine away, because it's mine.

      Which is where we come down to that old argument about "legal" versus "right". It is legal for you to attach any condition you like to the use of your code, just like the patent owner. But that does not make it right. You need to make up your mind about whether this movement is about freedom and sharing, or just some petty and jealous war on commercial software. There is more than enough room in this world for everyone to share only the code they want, and we'll all have plenty of code for plenty of purposes. But as long as a license exists that pretends to be about freedom while taking those freedoms away, we're going to have a constant stream of ignorant people ending up in the prison of that license where their code isn't really free.

      The GPL damages this community, and actively destroys the ideals we've worked to instill in it. It is an abomination. It needs to be stopped.

      --
      Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
    34. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by m50d · · Score: 1
      But they're not. They're looking for a driver. They find the GPL version, which now has no mention of the BSD version, and they STOP LOOKING. This is basic human nature.

      Only if that's what they wanted. If they wanted to do something prohibited by the GPL, they would continue looking for a driver under a more permissive license. If they don't want to do something prohibited by the GPL, it doesn't matter whether they get a GPL or BSD version.

      Removing the BSD license from this code dcoesn't benefit the GPL version in any way. It simply damages the BSD version.

      On the contrary; it makes license management easier for the linux kernel, as I've said.

      Indeed, the entire point of the GPL is to make your life difficult if you don't release YOUR code under the GPL, too

      No, the GPL is a permission, a positive thing; it's point is to make your life easy if you release your code under the GPL.

      I don't have any control over that. The patent owner controls that. If he says "no", that's the end of it.

      Everything has a price.

      Rather the opposite, actually. I'm denying that YOU are entitled to MY code. My code belongs to me, just like yours belongs to you. If you choose to give yours away, and you did, then I should be able to use it.

      The GPL is very much not giving it away; I can understand your disappointment with its conditions if you thought that was what it was doing, but that's a misconception on your part.

      It is legal for you to attach any condition you like to the use of your code, just like the patent owner. But that does not make it right.

      I have no moral obligation to give you the code (and you seem very much to agree with that, viz "I should be able to make my own decision about whether to give mine away, because it's mine."); *any* permission I give you to use it under any conditions* (be they paying me a license fee, GPLing your own code, or letting me sleep with your sister) is a unilateral offer on my part, and cannot be wrong; by making this offer I harm noone and nothing. It is of course up to you whether to accept it or not, depending on whether you think my price is too high.

      There is more than enough room in this world for everyone to share only the code they want, and we'll all have plenty of code for plenty of purposes.

      I'm unconvinced that there would be; witness the lack of a decent BSD-licensed optimizing C compiler. And in any case, that would mean the free code would be far behind the proprietary code in terms of features, very few people would use it, and therefore there would be very little driver and other support for free systems. Which would be a worse situation.

      But as long as a license exists that pretends to be about freedom while taking those freedoms away, we're going to have a constant stream of ignorant people ending up in the prison of that license where their code isn't really free.

      If it's their own code, they can always relicense it. If they needed a GPL library, then their only options were GPL or not at all, and it was their decision to write the code under those circumstances. In any case, if they suddenly switch their view on whether a license is free enough, they have only themselves to blame for any inconvenience they do themselves by doing so, and I don't see why I should be expected to feel responsible for their plight.

      The GPL damages this community, and actively destroys the ideals we've worked to instill in it. It is an abomination. It needs to be stopped.

      Disagree, really. I have yet to see any definition of open source or its ideals which rules out the GPL; quite the contrary in fact. I feel your community must be a different one from that of me, Linux, and at least several *BSD developers, and, I would venture to suggest, a much smaller one.

      --
      I am trolling
    35. Re:-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL"); by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's crappy flamebait, this guy is like twitter only the opposite and a little smarter. He's a jackass, hence me hovering anonymously, reminding him, he's a total fucktard.

  32. Is everyone on slashdot retarded? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, the code in question was not dual licensed under the GPL and BSD licenses. Some of the files were, and the person making this mistake was the original author of those files, that's not the problem. The openbsd developers added additional files (to make the driver actually work instead of requiring a binary blob), which are released under the ISC license only. The linux developers are welcome to add additional GPL restrictions to this free code if they wish, however they may not remove the original copyright notice from it. Its very simple if you take the 2 seconds required to look at what happened instead of picking sides and choosing to flame the other side like a bunch of morons.

    1. Re:Is everyone on slashdot retarded? by roadkill-maker · · Score: 1

      Is everyone on slashdot retarded? Nice flame.
    2. Re:Is everyone on slashdot retarded? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, you're posting here...are you a retard?

  33. Re:Uummmmm...... Not even close... by PygmySurfer · · Score: 1

    Considering that Jiri happens to be the original copyright holder of the code in question,
    they DO very probably understand what they are or are not allowed to do with regards to
    the licensing of the code. Since HE does NOT need licensing to produce it, relicense it, etc.
    he can do with his code what he sees fit to do.


    Except he's not the only copyright holder of the code in question:

    * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
    * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
    * Copyright (c) 2002-2007 Sam Leffler, Errno Consulting
    * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
    * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
    * Copyright (c) 2004, 2005 Reyk Floeter

  34. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by hedwards · · Score: 1

    The same could definitely be said about Linus and the Linux crowd as well. I seem to remember the Linux boosters getting very upset about a similar problem with code being taken improperly. As I recall, it was somewhat different, but I don't recall anybody at the time suggested that Linus and the boosters were mouthier than usual.

    And it is quite reasonable for them to complain that the BSD license was explicitly stripped from the source without permission. It would be an oversight if it was just violate the terms of the license, but to explicitly strip out the licensing is a getting towards the egregious end of the spectrum.

  35. Re:Exactly right ... by FST777 · · Score: 1

    Ha! Now the pot calls the kettle black, while the kettle is calling the pot the same. Both are shouting at eachother that the pot is calling the kettle something, or vice versa. At least both aknowledge that both where or are wrong somewhere with something, but in a while I guess everyone is forgotten what exactly was the case. Except for the fact that the opposing party was far more wrong to begin with, because their own side was less black. Grey even, maybe anthracitish. They will accuse eachother of this, and so the cycle starts over again. Rinse and repeat until... Until what exactly?

    Man, where is my popcorn. This must be the funniest flamefest I saw about BSD vs GPL yet.

    --
    Free beer is never free as in speech. Free speech is always free as in beer.
  36. True Freedom + Derivative Works Test Required by itsybitsy · · Score: 0

    The fact that code released under the GPL can not be closed is a lack of freedom which BSD doesn't have. Not only is this a highly restrictive aspect of the GPL it's also the "totalitarian communistic" aspect of the GPL that attempts to enforce "social controls" on the software industry.

    Before you get all McCarthy on me let me explain. Communistic in this case refers to the "community" and the high value that the GPL places upon keeping code available to the community as a whole - this is the principle of communism that I refer to: a higher value is placed on the rights of the community than the individual. GPL simply places higher values upon the rights of the community. BSD places high value on freedom to choose by the individual and the community.

    The GPL's sad devotion to it's community (aka communistic) principle creates a lack of freedom and a number of serious adoption problems for many considering using, extending and modifying GPL'd software. The lack of choice is prevalent since the GPL requires one to share ones changes IF the resulting binaries are "distributed". Such arbitrary arrogance of control by the collective! When will it end, GPL v20.0 total social control? Yes you have freedom to choose to join the GPL collective, but after that your freedom is diminished significantly.

    The BSD license enables full freedom. You are free to use, modify, edit, distribute (or not) the source or the binary. You are free to close the code! You are free to keep it open! That's total freedom and crucially important to innovation, the creative process and to the financial success for many of us. No adhering to totalitarian social control rules of the GPL restrictive license. Freedom to choose what you wish to do with the code when you wish to do it and how you wish to do it. Most importantly you can choose to change how you do it at anytime, unlike the GPL which requires you to adhere to the communistic party line at the moment you join and forever onwards.

    Free software and open source software communistic free: BSD all the way!

    As someone who has published software licensed the same software under the GPL and the BSD it's clear that BSD trumps GPL rules at anytime - allowing software published in this manner to override any GPL'd rule, phrase, sentence, paragraph or concept (and anything else I might have missed). Subsequent authors are of course free to do what they wish with it. Oh my god, they are even free to impose their draconian and totalitarian GPL license on their changes - IF AND ONLY IF their changes pass the derivative works test. HOWEVER, the original BSD license still applies to the original material - AND to minor changes that fail to pass the derivative works test! (See the second quoted text from the USA copyright office below for their derivative works test).

    This is what the USA copyright act states:

    103. Subject matter of copyright: Compilations and derivative works

    (b) The copyright in a compilation or derivative work extends only to the material contributed by the author of such work, as distinguished from the preexisting material employed in the work, and does not imply any exclusive right in the preexisting material. The copyright in such work is independent of, and does not affect or enlarge the scope, duration, ownership, or subsistence of, any copyright protection in the preexisting material.


    To remove the copyright when you are not the copyright owner is a violation of copyright law. The original authors should be contacted and asked how they wish to proceed.

    The original BSD code should at least be linked to or made available on the derivative site to clearly show the pedigree and respect the original authors rights.

    When you use another's work and modify it you are creating a derivative work and possibly a compilation work. There are tests to be applied as to the extent of your changes. Changing a single word in a sentence of a comment or program line isn't enough to make a derivative work.

    For exampl

    1. Re:True Freedom + Derivative Works Test Required by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      The fact that code released under the GPL can not be closed is a lack of freedom which BSD doesn't have.
      *Playing devil's advocate* The fact code released under the BSD can not be closed under the GPL is a lack of freedom which GPL/public domain doesn't have.

      Communistic in this case refers to the "community" and the high value that the GPL places upon keeping code available to the community as a whole - this is the principle of communism that I refer to: a higher value is placed on the rights of the community than the individual. GPL simply places higher values upon the rights of the community. BSD places high value on freedom to choose by the individual and the community.
      Despite the fact the individual still has the freedom to relicense the code he wrote as he sees fit, I don't understand what the problem itself is with ensuring everyone has the same rights to the code.

      The GPL's sad devotion to it's community (aka communistic) principle creates a lack of freedom and a number of serious adoption problems for many considering using, extending and modifying GPL'd software.
      I like how you spin this to be communists verses freedom :)

      If they don't intend to give out the sourcecode, yes, that is a problem. But it still didn't stop companies like TiVo among many others from choosing GPL software over BSD licensed.

      For example, lets say you take a BSD copyrighted program such as Apache, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, or any other large program and make some minor changes.
      Apache is under the Apache license, majority of the new pieces of OpenBSD are under the ISC license.

      The BSD license itself has annoying advertising clauses, a lot of older BSD licensed software had the advertising clause much later rescinded by the copyright owners, but the BSD license never changed. Now we have annoying variations of it under the Apache licenses, ISC licenses and modified BSD licenses (but are not known as 'the BSD license').

      As someone who has published software licensed the same software under the GPL and the BSD it's clear that BSD trumps GPL rules at anytime - allowing software published in this manner to override any GPL'd rule, phrase, sentence, paragraph or concept
      I've worked on software with various licenses, GPL, LGPL, BSD, ISC and many others. In my opinion, it depends what your goals are for choosing your license.

      I tend to stay towards the GPL side for my non-work projects. I don't mind other people using my code, I don't mind people selling my code. What I do mind is people taking the code, close sourcing it. I didn't write the code for someone to slack off at their job and then get to keep all their enhancements.

      That said, I don't use software over the licenses they have, I try to use what I consider is best for the job.

      I only really care about licenses when I'm developing.
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
  37. Not good enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The only thing oss developers have is ethics and credits. We are ashamed of what Slaby did. In fact, vendors may see slaby's name in the git logs and he can get a job with lots of $$$ for it. This is unacceptable. Linux wasn't made with stealing the work of others. MS does that.

    The response should include a big "SORRY". Not, i'm not home atm so somebody else take care of this. kthnxbye

    If i was linus, i would kickban slaby.

  38. No, it's not. by gbutler69 · · Score: 0

    People are just trying to make it seem like it's getting more complicated. It's actually quite straight-forward.

    If something is under BSD license. You CAN re-license it under the terms of the GPL provided you maintain the list of copyright holders, warranty disclaimer, and do not use the names of the copyright holders for purposes of advertisement or promotion.

    So, I can take a BSD licensed code, keep the BSD warranty disclaimer, keep the list of copyright holders, and add the GPL license notice. All future modifications from that source base (not the original) are now required to meet the requirements of the GPL.

    If it's dual-licensed, I can simply drop all mention of the BSD license and it's requirements. I am CHOOSING to distribute under the terms of the GPL then in that case.

    Simple. Not complicated. Anything else is FUD!

    --
    Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.
  39. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by itsybitsy · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas

    Actually you are not merely a citizen of the state of texas, you are a Sentient Human Being which trumps all imaginary rules or categories such as "states", "texas", "taxpayer" or "consumer".

    As a sentient human being you are a part of the universe that is alive and sentient. That is unique and special. It also infers powerful rights to you that the collective can't ever remove from you. Enjoy your power. Wisdom is advised however as others have the same immutable and powerful rights as you.

    -------
    Chapter Two of Stephen Wolfram's A New Kind of Science is enough proof that God not only Doesn't exist but isn't needed except to placate the masses.

  40. over-enthusiasm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then check the copyright notice on top of the source files, there is a copyright to ... Jiri Slaby.


    And what about the files written by Reyk Floeter, Nick Kossifidis, and Sam Leffler? if_athvar.h specifically is BSD-only licensed my Sam.

    I think this mostly a storm in a teacup though. Some developer who's not really that up on licensing knowledge made a change and some over-enthusiastic person really jumped on him. The fix is simple enough (add back the BSD notices).
  41. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by rossifer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The same could definitely be said about Linus and the Linux crowd as well. I seem to remember the Linux boosters getting very upset about a similar problem with code being taken improperly. As I recall, it was somewhat different, but I don't recall anybody at the time suggested that Linus and the boosters were mouthier than usual.
    You don't remember that because the GPL copyright holders attempted to resolve the issue quietly and without huge dramatics (Linus didn't become involved until very late in the game).

    And it is quite reasonable for them to complain that the BSD license was explicitly stripped from the source without permission.
    Except that it's the author and copyright holder who did it, and he's allowed to do what he likes with his copyrighted works.
  42. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by teh_chrizzle · · Score: 2, Informative
    --
    sarcasm:
    -noun
    1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
  43. Re:Uummmmm...... Not even close... by wasabii · · Score: 1

    So you did read the part of the license where it said you can do exactly what was done, right? Remove the license as long as the copyright notice is in tack. There is even a specific line which says you can distribute it under the terms of the GPL.

    Nothing to see here.

  44. A little off topic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An off topic reply to your sig:

    "Why does Apple hate DRM on audio, but not on Software or Video?"

    Apple doesn't hate DRM at all. They just decided to get rid of some of it to please the angry masses and to generate more sales.

    If it was a good idea financially to keep the DRM, Apple would happily keep it. Bastards.

  45. Changes MUST PASS Derivative Works Test! by itsybitsy · · Score: 1

    This is what the USA copyright act states:

    103. Subject matter of copyright: Compilations and derivative works

    (b) The copyright in a compilation or derivative work extends only to the material contributed by the author of such work, as distinguished from the preexisting material employed in the work, and does not imply any exclusive right in the preexisting material. The copyright in such work is independent of, and does not affect or enlarge the scope, duration, ownership, or subsistence of, any copyright protection in the preexisting material.

    To remove the copyright when you are not the copyright owner is a violation of copyright law. The original authors should be contacted and asked how they wish to proceed.

    The original BSD code should at least be linked to or made available on the derivative site to clearly show the pedigree and respect the original authors rights.

    When you use another's work and modify it you are creating a derivative work and possibly a compilation work. There are tests to be applied as to the extent of your changes. Changing a single word in a sentence of a comment or program line isn't enough to make a derivative work.

    For example, lets say you take a BSD copyrighted program such as Apache, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, or any other large program and make some minor changes. If you modify a subroutine in a large program that's not a derivative work since that is a minor change and wouldn't qualify. In fact most contributions by folks to any large free or opensource projects don't qualify as new versions of the work and the copyright remains with the original authors.

    Here is a summary from the US to back up the above assertion.
    http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ14.html#derivat ive/ [copyright.gov]
    To be copyrightable, a derivative work must be different enough from the original to be regarded as a "new work" or must contain a substantial amount of new material. Making minor changes or additions of little substance to a preexisting work will not qualify the work as a new version for copyright purposes.

    Remember that while you can have all the open source or free software fantasies you wish the bottom line is that the copyright laws of your country and the country that the software originated from still apply and in many cases trump or nullify the license terms - sometimes in unexpected ways.

    So in this case if the changes were minor the derivative works test fails, and the license MUST remain BSD as the subsequent work isn't a new copyrightable version!

    Now the question is: how extensive where the changes? IF what was presented in this Slashdot thread is the entire source code AND it wasn't produced by the original author THEN one would easily see that it's not a new copyrightable work and the original authors copyright remains in full force with his BSD license terms.

  46. Stop this nonsense... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Some points...

    a) ath5k_hw.c /ah5k_hw.h / ath5kreg.h and ath5k.h do not come from openbsd tree, they have code from bsd (that's why Reyk's copyright is there) but are written from scratch. They first appeared on madwifi svn (http://madwifi.org/changeset/2232) and are part of madwifi-old-openhal project. They have a different layout (eg. code is not split per-chip as in openbsd cvs but it's common for all chips, lot more documentation on registers etc) and you can see that changes have been done since http://madwifi.org/log/branches/madwifi-old-openha l/openhal (initial register writes for example are done in a different way than original openbsd code). So it's a derivative work or a "fork", not a "copy" as the license says ("copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies."). So if those files had from start a GPLv2 license it wouldn't be a problem (since they are not "copies" of the original code and author's copyright -Reyk's- is still there so there is no copyright violation either).

    b) Original author of those files (mickflemm) later uploaded them on madwifi svn repository again but now with a different license (http://madwifi.org/changeset/2670), GPLv2 as you see (Reyk's copyright is still there of course)...

    So where is the problem ???

    I see no violation, only people calling other people thieves (http://www.osnews.com/story.php/18528/Linux-Devel opers-Steal-OpenBSD-Code-for-Wireless-Driver) and this is really anoying !!!

    Also have in mind that Madwifi team have provided patches on openbsd (you can see that on openbsd cvs http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/sys/dev/ ic/), so "bad linux developers against openbsd" scenario doesn't apply here...

    To summarize the whole thing IMHO is nonsense, Theo just wanted to make a point against linux developers after a serious (even copyright was removed) violation commited on openbsd's cvs (http://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/bcm43xx-dev/200 7-April/004370.html), not a test branch like -mm, the core cvs. Also have in mind that Theo back then criticized Mike for doing this on a public mailing list etc and now he didn't say a thing about publicity.

  47. seems legitimate by m2943 · · Score: 1

    The code is under a dual license and permits the person distributing the code to choose BSD or GPLv2. Well, the person chose GPLv2. That seems legitimate to me: the license does not require the code to continue to be distributed under both license. In fact, this may be unavoidable in many cases: if the code is modified in a way that would cause it to fall under the GPLv2, it simply cannot be redistributed anymore under a BSD license.

  48. doesnt the BSD license allow for it being removed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Im pretty sure the main caveats of BSD licence is

    1. Dont say you wrote it
    2. Dont sue us if it breaks
    3. Otherwise party on!

    I would say that modifying/recompiling for linux and changing the license is fine. Microsoft took their TCP/IP stack from BSD and closed the source completely but nobody cared cuz it was how the BSD license was meant to work.

    nothing to see here

  49. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by StormReaver · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Except that it's the author and copyright holder who did it, and he's allowed to do what he likes with his copyrighted works."

    The submitter wrote some of the driver, but there are a few other names in the Copyright list. There is no information in the article indicating their (dis)approval.

  50. Re:Copyright is only good when it comes to the GPL by ScytheBlade1 · · Score: 1

    This is a reoccurring copy/paste troll which has seen it's rounds on /.

    Let's not give it any more thought or discussion, as that has been done many times before.

  51. How is this even an issue? by msimm · · Score: 1

    The BSD license is a permissive license. If you release ANYTHING under the BSD license you're basically saying "here, I've done this, now use it". Which is great. We can use the code, modify it, roll it up into our proprietary package and happily redistribute it. And everyone's known this forever.

    So mingling BSD and GPL code shouldn't produce such surprising results. I'm sure the original developer would have been much happier if the updates could be given back under the original license to the original project. But adding new code under a different (in this case less permissive) license does exactly what it should do. No-one TOOK his code. He gave it away. They made improvements but licensed their work under the license they preferred.

    They could just as well have taken it, improved it and rolled it into a massive money making venture and never even provided the code and somehow in this funny climate it seems *that* would have been better.

    Don't like the license? Don't use the code. Write your own code. We GPL monkeys have to do this all the time. Technically, so do the commercial shops. Sounds like a petty squabble. If they didn't want it to be free, as in they had some expectation of being given something back then should have chose another license. But it's BSD. I could write a patch and release the patch under the most insane license I could find. Folding my patch into their codebase would then 'taint' their licensing. That's exactly how the BSD works. In fact, that's exactly the BSD's strength and it's flexibility.

    Personally I prefer the GPL for this very reason. If I release work and people improve it and benefit from it I'd like to see some return on the gains. But since it's BSD you can A) accept it because it's the nature of the license you chose B) whine ... C) ask (never hurts, but it doesn't politically make sense to reverse your stance on such a permissive license) D) reject the patch and fork (happens all the time) E) change licenses to something that better reflects your expectations.

    Mind you, this all makes for good /. style entertainment and I'm sure they'll work out their differences (I'd guess by doing D). And since when does the BSD have X11 like clauses? I'm having deja vu.

    --
    Quack, quack.
  52. License request by peacefinder · · Score: 1

    I am not directly involved with the OpenBSD project. However I am an OpenBSD user and (small) donor, and I do appreciate their attitude towards software freedom.

    Asking strictly for myself, and without any knowledge about who you are or what your projects are, would you please relicense them to add the ISC license?

    Thanks!

    (No Funny mods, please... I'm quite serious.)

    --
    With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
    1. Re:License request by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 1

      Actually, on my current project I couldn't without rewriting significant parts of it, because it uses a GPLV2 licensed Python module. I have a couple of other projects, one of them being an installer for my current project, and I have actually already considered dual-licensing the installer under BSD and GPL (for obvious reasons).

    2. Re:License request by peacefinder · · Score: 1

      No worries. It sounded like you were just waiting for someone to ask, so I thought I'd ask. :-)

      --
      With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
    3. Re:License request by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In general no (I wouldn't relicense all my code). In specifics yes. If you see a specific piece of GPL code that would seriously help the OpenBSD core system then just ask the author, explaining how the code would help. If that's me then I will answer yes. I would be very surprised since it's mostly application level stuff like perl modules, stand alone C programs, documentation and wiki text. Please remember that GPL code can be included in OpenBSD (e.g. GNU Toolchain) so there's no need for me to relicense to achieve my aims or to help OpenBSD. I believe that if everything was relicensed under the ISC license then free software (including OpenBSD) would gradually cease to exist since proprietary software would come to dominate. I thus think that my GPL software helps OpenBSD more than it would if it was ISC licensed. I'm fully aware that they disagree with me, but that's okay.

  53. License request by peacefinder · · Score: 1

    I am not directly involved with the OpenBSD project. However I am an OpenBSD user and (small) donor, and I do appreciate their attitude towards software freedom.

    Asking strictly for myself, and without any knowledge about who you are or what your projects are, would you please relicense them to add the ISC license?

    Thanks!

    (No Funny mods, please... I'm quite serious.)

    --
    With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
  54. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by itsybitsy · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Hi,

    So someone categorized my earlier reply as off topic, sigh. Since the posting that I originally replied to included a signature footer including the statement "I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas" my comment was perfectly on topic. If anything his posting was off topic for including said signature. Commenting on signtures is perfectly valid.

    Thanks.

  55. technically correct, morally problematic by ClarkEvans · · Score: 1

    If Slaby is the *sole* copyright owner, he's welcome to release it under another license. It appears however that his work was probably done in concert with other contributors and those contributors may not have transferred their copyright to him. Hence, he may not be able to just change the license like he did. That said, the modification that he's agreed seems correct -- ie, parts of this code are BSD, but remaining changes are under the GPL. Hence, unless you know which parts are GPL and which are BSD, its in effect a GPL license. So, same effect. It's a legal technicality.

    If this is the *sole* work of ostensible author, Jiri Slaby, there is no further issue.

    However, if this software has contributors from the BSD community, then the act, while technically legal, is extremely rude , uncooperative, and I'd argue, morally problematic. People write BSD code so that people can take advantage of the code in any way, including making proprietary forks or whatno -- the code is truly *FREE*. The conversion to GPL like this isn't actually helping to keep it "free", it's a privatization of the code to a different definition of "free", preventing further work from being included in BSD* distributions. This is the net effect of the change; the Linux people are essentially saying: thanks for the fish, now go away. They are building off FREE software, but are unwilling to grant the same freedoms granted to them back to those who helped build it. It's classic GPL and Stallmanist logic. It's now "free", so long as "free" means what Stallman say it means. The proper response to this by BSD people is to continue to develop the *BSD licensed version, and just ignore the Linux fork. Yes, they can take the fish if they want, it's not legally incorrect -- but the action itself speaks loudly of the Linux community, however.

  56. Er... by msimm · · Score: 1

    I guess I'm wrong about the copyright notice. It seems a little counter intuitive and with th dual licensing issue thrown in I'm fairly lost.

    Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
    - Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
    - Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

    So the BSD is mostly permissive but contains restriction with what could be considered a viral copyright notice?

    --
    Quack, quack.
    1. Re:Er... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No idiot, the BSD is a licence which grants a great deal of rights to licencees. It requires that it's terms be perpetually linked to the code it is set to, those terms can never be removed, but they do not force themselves on derivative works, a person who uses the BSD code does not have to release the code under the BSD terms, but those BSD terms must still be in place on the original code.

      The GPL is called viral because it can override the BSD licence, MIT licence or ISC licence (or a dozen others), it forces it's terms on all derivative works, the BSD does not.

      As has been said, the big thing at issue, is a bunch of retarded Linux developers removing a legally binding contract from code that isn't theirs to remove.

  57. It was under the GPL that they used it.. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I am not sure why there is confusion. The original code was available under EITHER the BSD license, and the GPL license. They have decided to use the GPL license, which does not bind them to the BSD license.

        So they removed mention. The provided the code back, under the gplv2, which the original authors could then include into theirs.

        AVAILABLE under dual license doesn't mean you accept both. They abided by the terms of the GPL.

    --
    -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  58. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

    It was not a violation. HE'S using and redistributing it under the terms of the GPLv2. Granted, it would seem a bit rude, but, not a violation of the gplv2 at all. Dual license doesn't mean BOTH.

    --
    -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  59. The way to make GPL changes to BSD licensed code by Sun · · Score: 1

    As far as I can tell, is to do something like this: /*
      * Copyright (c) 1903-2009 Bsd Fan
      * Copyright (c) 2007 GPL Zealot
      *
      *** GPL standard notice goes here
      *
      * Portions of this file were taken from XXX
      * These portions are licensed under the following license:
      *** BSD license goes here
      */

    This way both licenses are respected, everyone get their copyright, but the work is licensed under the GPL ONLY! If someone can separate the original work (say, by taking it from the original location), then that work is still licensed under the BSD license, but non of the new modifications are licensed under BSD, only under GPL (which is BSD compatible)

    Shachar

  60. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A patch to existing code would be considered a derivative work.

    Derivative works all belong to the original copyright owner. No matter who wrote them.

    This is what keeps someone from trying to add in a patch that has a different license from original GPL work.

    The original licensee does not allow it.

  61. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by hedwards · · Score: 1

    Except, that dual licenses means just that. In the case where a program is dual licensed, one must maintain compliance with both licenses, or do so to the fullest extent possible. In this case that means very little beyond keeping the BSD license notice attached to the code. What if he had decided to go the other way, removing the gpl2 license? You don't honestly think that, that would significantly alter the requirements in terms of redistribution, do you?

    The only person that can change the licensing on code is the person that owns it. From what I have gathered, the person that relicensed the driver only contributed a portion of the driver, meaning that there was a portion of the code which was not his to relicense. I have no problem personally with people changing their minds over what license to use, it often times ends well, but changing the license on somebody elses work is pretty much piracy.

    It would be terribly convenient for me to change the licensing on commercial software programs so that I could use them with impunity because now all of a sudden they have become public domain. But it doesn't work like that, and for good reason.

  62. Hypocrite! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Either it's totally free, like you claim - then everybody be it commercial vendors or GPL people can do with it what they like. After all that's the point of BSD: extensions need NOT be given back to the BSD community. Why should a commercial company be allowed to take the code, whereas GPL people would not?

    So either live with it or stop talking about that free nonsense.

    I'm comming more and more to the conclusion that BSD authors are friggen' hypocrites.

    And equating one proposed patch with the whole linux community makes you more than a hypocrite, it makes you a back-stabbing liar.

    1. Re:Hypocrite! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read the BSD license before you post nonsense. The point mostly being is that they 'removed' the BSD clause (which is the BSD license) and is *NOT* supposed to be removed!

      In another sense, they took the credit for something they didn't code by simply and wrongfully changing the license clause from BSD to GPL and changing one letter from 'a' to 'b'. Theo is not making such a big fuss publicly, the Linux users are... LOL

  63. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    How about this bit:

    diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k.h b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k.h
    index 0c6f3f5..c76b97b 100644
    --- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k.h
    +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k.h
    @@ -2,17 +2,7 @@
        * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
        * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
        *
    - * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
    - * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
    - * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
    - *
    - * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
    - * WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
    - * MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
    - * ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
    - * WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
    - * ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
    - * OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
    + * This file is released under GPLv2
        */


    A) Not the original author, and B) in definite violation of that license. And the amazing thing is it's the first first part of the diff. You have to go looking for code written by Jiri.
  64. Check The Authors by cmholm · · Score: 1

    After a quick look back at the diffs, you're right, Slaby gets to change one license almost will, but needs to ask for the others:

    +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_base.c
        * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby
        * All rights reserved.

    +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k.h
        * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Reyk Floeter
        * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis

    +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_base.h
        * Copyright (c) 2002-2007 Sam Leffler, Errno Consulting

    +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_hw.c
        * Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Nick Kossifidis
        * Copyright (c) 2007 Jiri Slaby

    Perhaps there's a thread with Floeter, Kossifidis, and Leffler giving him the green light, but I didn't see one.

    --
    Luke, help me take this mask off ... Just for once, let me butterfly kiss you with my own eyes.
  65. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Phroggy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A patch to existing code would be considered a derivative work. Correct.

    Derivative works all belong to the original copyright owner. No matter who wrote them. Only partially correct. Derivative works belong to both the original copyright owner AND the author of the derivative work. I can take BSD-licensed code, hack it however I like, and release the result as a proprietary application, as long as I give proper attribution as required under the BSD license. Doing so does NOT give the authors of the BSD code the right to use my derivative code for free; they'd have to buy it from me at whatever price I set (if I choose to offer it for sale). Although I have to comply with their license in order to use their code in this way, they don't own the result.

    This is what keeps someone from trying to add in a patch that has a different license from original GPL work. By submitting a patch, you're implicitly granting a license for your code to be included with the project, under the same license(s) as the rest of the project, but you still hold the copyright on your code. Some projects have legal wording to clarify their policy on accepting patches, but this is how things are generally understood to work.

    The original licensee does not allow it. The inclusion of BSD-licensed code in GPL-licensed software is perfectly fine, as long as the conditions of the BSD license are met. In this case, it sounds like the conditions of the BSD license may not have been met. The author of most of the driver took the whole thing (including patches owned by other people and licensed under the BSD license), and tried to relicense the whole thing under GPLv2 without dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. The idea of what he was trying to do is totally OK, but a couple of details may not have been handled correctly and might need to be fixed.

    Doing the same thing in the other direction (including GPL-licensed code in a BSD-licensed project) is a no-no, by the way. The GPL has additional requirements that the BSD license doesn't satisfy.
    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  66. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by hedwards · · Score: 1

    You don't remember that because the GPL copyright holders attempted to resolve the issue quietly and without huge dramatics (Linus didn't become involved until very late in the game). I don't remember that mostly because that isn't how it happened. I would not call a email with a huge number of addresses CC'd to everybody that matters a quite deal. Especially when the maintainer hadn't yet been notified of the mistake. Furthermore, I don't get why the list CC'd didn't only include the people that needed to hear about it.That isn't a quiet way of resolving things when the maintainer is the only person that needs to be contacted initially. The main reason why Theo got involved at that point was that there was the programmer that was spamming the developers over an issue that he had yet to inform anybody about.

    I read through that thread, and most of the yelling from the openbsd side was that the complaints were being handled in an immature and unprofessional manner. Quite a bit of complaining about why it was necessary to humiliate the maintainer if the original programmer just wanted the code fixed to properly attribute the license and copyright information.

    As for Linus, the reason I mentioned his name was that the post I was responding to was suggesting that Theo can be a bit coarse and hard to deal with. Which is largely the same way that Linus frequently comes off at times.

    I'm sorry, but I really can't see how the Linux devs are any better than the Openbsd devs in all of this. It might be better to make sure ones own house is cleaned before complaining about the cleanliness of others.
  67. I wouldn't even go that far by einhverfr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think the difference is how freedom is best preserved. In a BSDL community, you encourage everyone to contribute because it benefits them and everyone else by doing so, and it hurts them not to contribute. This works becasue if one doesn't contribute back then it becomes prohibitive to upgrade to the latest version fairly quickly, but if one does contribute then everyone else can supply patches and improvements. Furtermore, if two people create a different fix to the same problem and only one contributes the patch, the person who didn't gets screwed, especially if their version is better since now they have to maintain the difference or lose functionality.

    BSD uses economics to protect freedom. GPL tries to use the force of law.

    Generally I prefer the BSD approach but tend to feel safer with the GPL :-)

    --

    LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
    1. Re:I wouldn't even go that far by pclminion · · Score: 1

      I think the difference is how freedom is best preserved.

      Freedom is best preserved by ignoring these "license" things and simply doing what you want. What could be freer than that?

    2. Re:I wouldn't even go that far by PinkPanther · · Score: 1

      BSD uses economics to protect freedom. GPL tries to use the force of law.

      I agree that the GPL leverages the law, but I completely disagree with the economics argument of BSD. It is specifically economics that can completely kill a BSD project.

      The problem with BSD is that I can take a fork of a project today, throw a whack of talented resources at it and make a better product. Launch that into the wild and have everyone take my (non-BSD'ed) fork as the dominant project. Give it some time, and everyone has forgotten about FreeWhateverItWas and is now using PinkPanther_v5. Everyone is drinking from the PP-koolaid...then I start re$tricting acce$$.

      Oh, sure, they're'd be folks who'd try to keep FreeWhateverItWas alive. There might be others that try to revive it. But I've thrown enough resources and enhancements into it, and its output is radically incompatible with pre-fork that it simply is in noone's economic interest to stop upgrading from the PP-fork.

      PinkPanther has stolen a BSD project. PinkPanther wins.

      --
      It's a simple matter of complex programming.
    3. Re:I wouldn't even go that far by einhverfr · · Score: 2, Informative

      The problem with BSD is that I can take a fork of a project today, throw a whack of talented resources at it and make a better product. Launch that into the wild and have everyone take my (non-BSD'ed) fork as the dominant project. Give it some time, and everyone has forgotten about FreeWhateverItWas and is now using PinkPanther_v5. Everyone is drinking from the PP-koolaid...then I start re$tricting acce$$. And you are still competing with Free (both kinds). If you are extremely lucky the original development will be slow enough to actually let you be successful at this. In which case the project is more or less dead anyway (regardless of license).

      Now, one of the BSDL projects I support is PostgreSQL. As your post suggests, there are a number of companies that either currently or in the past have offered proprietary versions of the software. These include Command Prompt, EnterpriseDB, Fujitsu, Green Plum, Pervasive, and SRA.

      Of these, Command Prompt still has *one* proprietary add-on (but they no longer sell proprietary versions of the software), Fujitsu has dropped off the radar screen, Pervasive has given up competing with Free, and so has SRA. EnterpriseDB and Green Plum market niche products but they are hardly mainstream. In short, in a few years, pretty every proprietary version which even had a hope of being mainstream died.

      In case you are wondering, EnterpriseDB offers a version of PostgreSQL with some extra Oracle compatibility. Nobody in the PostgreSQL community (myself included) wants this in our software. So we are happy to let them sell that. After all, they contribute a lot of code back to the main version. After all, they want to be competing against Oracle ($$$), not PostgreSQL (Free).

      Similarly Green Plum makes a version of PostgreSQL aimed at buisness intelligence markets. They release a single-node version open source, and a version capable of parallelism under a proprietary license. The parallelism is what you pay for in BI space, so that is what they keep to themselves. Again, they want to be competing with Teradata, Oracle, and DB2 ($$$), not PostgreSQL (Free).

      Pervasive tried to compete with Free and discovered it didn't work...

      Where the BSDL has some drawbacks though is that it discourages businesses from being first movers in the development. The basic problem is this: You license your software, and your competitor can take that as you released it to get ahead. The GPL solves this problem, but in my view, but another option might be to approach some competitors and ask for contracts stating that for 1-2 years, they will contribute all the code thee write for it back. By then, you should have a larger community.
      --

      LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
  68. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Except, that dual licenses means just that. In the case where a program is dual licensed, one must maintain compliance with both licenses, or do so to the fullest extent possible.
    Um, what on earth gives you that impression? The whole point of dual licensing is that end users have the option of choosing one license to comply with, and disregarding the other license completely. This makes it possible for people other than the copyright holder to incorporate the work into a project that uses a license compatible with either of the dual licenses.
  69. Some helpful hints by einhverfr · · Score: 1

    Although we met several technical challenges along the way
    (specifically, Linux's lack of Token Ring support and the fact that we
    were unable to defrag its ext2 file system).... I suppose it depends how you frag the filesystem to start with. Windows will only defrag a filesystem it has messed up. Since Linux doesn't mess up the filesystem for you, fragging it might require a plasma gun or the like and then, I am afraid the software isn't going to be much help.

    As for Tolkein Ring support, ask the Nazghul;* they might, for the right price, let you port the drivers from AIX.

    * Nazghul in this context refers to IBM's lawyers.
    --

    LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
  70. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Please cite me any source of information that says dual license means you are bound by two separate and distinct licenses. All definitions of Dual License I have seen are an either license context, not BOTH licenses. A good example is MySQL. Dual licensed under a commercial license where anyone can do what they want for a fee. They in no way are required to redistribute the code if they choose a commercial license.

    --
    -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  71. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Aneurysm9 · · Score: 1

    Bullshit! Derivative works are separate works that receive separate protection under the Copyright Act to the extent that they are different from the original work and to the extent that that difference satisfies the requirements for copyright protection. It is, however, infringement to create a derivative work without the permission of the original author. Then you get into a situation where you own the copyright to the derivative work, but cannot exercise any of the rights of a copyright holder without infringing on the rights of the original holder.

    --
    There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of a bus to never-ever land.
  72. slight of mind by epine · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The GPL is "more free" than the BSD because the only thing it restricts is the kind of restrictions that can be put on the code. Its restrictions are much like the restrictions found in the bill of rights, they ensure no one can take your freedom. Now tell me, is the US more or less free with the 1st amendment?


    Well, now, that's a truly fabulous slight-of-mind. Kudos. But tell me, is 1st amendment a reference to first post? Under this theory of law, you really want to get there first.

    The GPL actually functions like a 1st amendment which states that America grants certain rights to Americans (some in the guise of restrictions on restrictions), and we're going to bomb any country which doesn't follow suit back to the stone age.

    Tell me, wouldn't the 1st amendment be better if it was more honest about the carpet bombing of contrary views back to the stone age? Subject only to available funds?

    I admire the GPL empire, but personally I choose not to live there. I think the GPL is the right choice for systems and the wrong choice for technologies. If I invented a new network protocol (Internet 3, since Internet 2 is already registered) I would license the implementation under BSD, and the compliance suite under GPL. A protocol is worthless if people don't steal enough of the original code to make everything work together. Likewise, the protocol is worthless if people Balkanize compliance with the edge cases. I see two different purposes, and two different licences with respect to those purposes, neither of which involves any recursive viral calculus to comprehend.

    1. Re:slight of mind by eldepeche · · Score: 1

      The LGPL allows some measure of dynamic linking. In the case of a new technology implemented in a LGPL-licensed library, anyone could use it, and any improvements to the library code itself would be copylefted, so that if someone tried to distribute an improved version of the library, they would have to release the code. If it's implemented in a BSD-licensed library, anybody can take your work and run with it, and their improvements to the technology itself could be hidden.

    2. Re:slight of mind by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      I would license the implementation under BSD
      Why not public domain? You're restricting the use of GPL systems by using BSD. If it's public domain, everyone can use it.
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
  73. More helpful hints by einhverfr · · Score: 1
    See my comments above in asking the Nazghul for help implementing Tolkein Ring support.

    I think the biggest thing keeping Linux from being truly competitive
    with Microsoft is this GPL. Its draconian requirements virtually
    guarentee that no business will ever be able to use it. Note that the Nazghul have signed off on Linux from the standpoint of their parent company's global consulting services, which now amount to over half the revenue of that Fortune 100 company. Perhaps the Nazghul like dragons?

    In short, I believe that you should ask your lawyer for a good definition of derivative works, or read Gates v. Bando (no relation to Billy) and look at these things yourself. While IANAL, I do divine the future by watching the flights of the Nazghul on their draconian steeds.
    --

    LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
  74. You stay anonymous... by widman · · Score: 1

    Ignore the more relevant discussions from technical people. Like at Kerneltrap. And answer by replying blindly what I called you. - Hey, you farted, it's disgusting - No I didn't, you did! - Right

    1. Re:You stay anonymous... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I asked you for specifics, you appear to have nothing beyond insults.

      In the absence of specific instances of where something I've stated is not matched by the facts, I stand by my post. As you can see above, there's one instance in which someone pointed out an inaccuracy in what I wrote (namely about whether any copyright violations had occurred) and I was happy acknowledge that and post a correction.

  75. Is it even freaking possible? by rastoboy29 · · Score: 1

    ..to violate a BSD license?  I mean really?

    1. Re:Is it even freaking possible? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup, remove the license, that's one of the very few ways to violate it's terms.

  76. Linux rips off BSD... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    again!

  77. back reference? attribution? by Joseph_Daniel_Zukige · · Score: 1

    Copyright law pretty much requires you not to attempt to steal someone else's copyright, as in by taking out their copyright notice.

    The reason the BSD copyright notice containing the license requires keeping the copyright notice is that the BSD copyright notice is a bit more complicated than many copyright notices. Without the license part of the notice being explicit about that, some people might have thought it was okay to strip out the license part of the notice as long as they left that one line of copyright claim. (And the law itself has not been tested in this way, so it was good to be safe.)

    It was okay for the original author to change the license until the derivitive work contained code from someone else. Once there is code from someone else, the authors of the additional code must be also consulted, and if they don't agree, the copyright claims (included the license, in this case) must remain intact.

    Why do so many people seem to fail to read the licenses for comprehension before they assume what can and can't be done.

    (And I'm not talking about the original author in this case, my guess is that part of his brain hadn't really quite fully registered that someone who had helped him with his creation might not think that removing the dual license was just a matter of tidying up, and once that was brought to his attention, he seems to have recognized the issues and taken care of it.)

    joudanzuki

    -- READ your licenses before you use the code. (And if you don't understand the license, don't use it. ;-)

  78. Not really added back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The BSD license stuff _was_ put back in, but under a clause clarifying that the code was _originally_ dual-licensed with the BSD-licence.

  79. Actually... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They didn't say "Can't do that."

    What was suggested was "How about an clarifying clause, explaining that the code was originally dual-licensed (with reproduced BSD-license), as a way to demonstrate good-will towards the BSD-based contributers and appreciation of their efforts.

    Then, as you say, Jiri S. said "Good idea! But I'm not at my own computer right now; so would someone pretty-please take care of it for me?"

  80. Re:No... He's not the sole copyright holder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No... He is not the _sole_ copyright holder and not all files are dual licensed!

  81. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by dossen · · Score: 1
    What exactly would be the point of requiring the code to remain licensed under both licenses? If e.g. a library is licensed under two mutually exclusive open-source licenses, the whole point is that I can derive a version licensed under one of those licenses to link with my own code under the same license.
    Also note the wording in one of the diffs:

    Alternatively, this software may be distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License ("GPL") version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation.

    The word 'Alternatively' usually means that I may select either of the rules it stands between, not that I must abide by both.
  82. Good summary of what really happened by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    List: openbsd-misc
    Subject: Re: Linux Driver Violates BSD License
    From: "Constantine A. Murenin" [...]
    BTW, since this is misc@openbsd.org, people might be interested to
    know about the history of the licensing terms of ath(4) in OpenBSD.

    OpenBSD's ath(4) consists of two parts:
    1. a driver, copyrighted by Sam Leffler of FreeBSD
    2. a HAL, copyrighted by Reyk Floeter of OpenBSD

    What Theo explained above concerns the OpenHAL code. OpenHAL is the
    Linux name for madwifi driver connected with reyk's entirely free and
    open source ath(4) HAL code.

    Sam originally put a dual BSD/GPL licence onto his driver code.
    Reyk always put a BSD-style licence onto his HAL code.

    At the time OpenHAL was forked from OpenBSD, OpenBSD's ath(4)
    _driver_, but _not the HAL_, was dual licensed.

    As already mentioned, OpenBSD's ath(4) HAL, written by Reyk, was
    _never_ dual licensed. See the history on /sys/dev/ic/{ar52{10,11,12}{.c,{reg,var}.h},ar5xxx .{c,h}}.
    http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/sys/dev/ ic/#ar5210.c

    Few months ago, Sam changed the licence of _his_ code to a 2-clause
    BSD licence. Sam had every right to do so, because he was and is the
    only copyright holder of that code, as the licence header of the
    driver file indicates, in FreeBSD, OpenBSD etc.

    http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/src/sys/dev/ ath/if_ath.c#rev1.170
    http://www.freshbsd.org/2007/06/06?project=freebsd &committer=sam

    Reyk committed Sam's changes to OpenBSD the same day, so now,
    OpenBSD's ath(4) is _entirely_ BSD-licensed, with no alternative
    licensing available.

    http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/sys/dev/ ic/ath.c#rev1.64
    http://www.freshbsd.org/2007/06/06?project=openbsd &committer=reyk

    However, what Jiri Slaby does in his diff is simply outrageous. He
    changes the licensing terms of the code _he does not own_ _at his own
    will_. A clear copyright violation.

    As I can see from that diff on LKML, Jiri Slaby doesn't even have his
    name as the copyright holder in many of the ath5k files that he tries
    to change the licensing terms of. In other files, he is not the only
    author, so he can't change the terms unless _all_ other copyright
    holders agree to the new terms.
    I'm very upset that certain people think they can get away with such a
    blatant disrespect of the copyright law. I trust that this violation
    won't be left unnoticed.

    What I personally don't understand, however, is that if Jiri Slaby
    thinks that he can simply change the licence of someone's code without
    explicit agreement of that someone, then why on earth does he think
    that changing the licence to a more restrictive one will offer him any
    protections, as, presumably following his logic, other people could
    later change the licence to whatever they feel like, in the very same
    illegal manner as he did in the first place. IMHO, that is the real
    question that he has to answer.

    Constantine.

  83. Throwing stones was done earlier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The BSD troupe got their panties in a twist and theo exploded in the earlier setting. In this one, the BSD troupe got their panties in a twist and the GPL people said "OK, missed that. Ta".

    I fail to see where both sides have been equally as bad. Pantie twisting is OK but the bit where Theo and his acolytes (or is that elecrolytes..?) went apeshit and called the GPL people all sorts of mean things and went so genuinely ballistic is NOT OK and the GPL people here aren't going in the least bit apeshit.

    Theo's a twat (a useful one, maybe) but he's not portrayed as one because businesses looove BSD (when written by others: try asking your boss if you can release your code BSD...).

    PS I thought that the BSD was "better" than the GPL because there's "like, no retrictions, the code is just free, man". Uh, if it was REALLY free why is it possible to infringe the copyrights?

  84. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by clarkcox3 · · Score: 1

    That is simply not true. If I write something new, I own the copyright on it, and can choose to place it under the GPL. If someone else then modifies that same software, they own the copyright on their modifications; however, they are bound by the terms of the license under which they obtained the code in the first place (the GPL), which obligates them to release their modifications under the GPL as well. Since they don't own the copyright on all of the code, they cannot choose to release it under a different license.

    I, as the original copyright holder, could release my original version under a different license, but I could not change the license on the version that consists of my original version + their modifications. The only way that I could do that is if I had the permission of the other copyright holder(s). This is one reason that some companies are so scared of the GPL: in the general case, it is very hard to get ahold of all of the relevant copyright holders.

    For projects submitted to the FSF, they take out some of the confusion by requiring that copyright is transfered to the FSF itself, but the FSF is a special case in this respect.

    --
    There are no tiger attacks in my area and it's all because this rock I'm holding keeps the tigers away.
  85. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Workaphobia · · Score: 1

    Since you seem to have a good handle on this I'll ask you: Sifting through the linked discussion and Theo's flames, I ran across an argument about the nature of dual-licensing. Someone mentioned that the GPL has wording to the effect of "You must give others the same freedoms that you had when you received the software" - I presume that's from the preamble or something higher-level than legalese. Still, could that be properly interpreted to mean that, under the terms of the GPL itself, if you receive a piece of software that is dual-licensed, you are required to preserve both licenses in your redistribution? I kind of doubt it, but I wonder what the argument in that case would be.

    --
    Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
  86. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Workaphobia · · Score: 1

    Also, how does the attribution clause play into this? Isn't the existence of a piece of code licensed under BSD (as opposed to BSD-like) incompatible with the GPL? How is it that you can include conditions on the redistribution of source - specifically that an additional notice must be maintained - and still be GPL compliant?

    --
    Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
  87. Licenses don't work that way by argent · · Score: 1

    So they removed mention.

    Which violates the BSDL.

    The GPL does not replace the BSDL. The resulting work remains subject to both licenses. The GPL can't change that.

    1. Re:Licenses don't work that way by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Not the way it was worded, but then again, IANAL.

      No where have I ever seen mention that a dual license requires acceptance of BOTH licenses. It allows you to accept and use either license.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    2. Re:Licenses don't work that way by argent · · Score: 1

      No where have I ever seen mention that a dual license requires acceptance of BOTH licenses. It allows you to accept and use either license.

      That's a completely different kind of "dual license".

      You're thinking of the case where one copyright owner chooses to release a work under two licenses, and explicitly notes that you have the choice of using either.

      This is a case where the resulting work has more than one copyright on it, and each copyright owner applies a different license to the work. BOTH licenses remain in effect. The BSDL "allows relicensing" only in so far as it allows the creation of modified works that have more restrictions than the BSDL. The resulting work remains copyrighted by the original author *as well as* the person who created the derived work, and remains subject to both licenses.

    3. Re:Licenses don't work that way by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      - * Alternatively, this software may be distributed under the terms of the
      - * GNU General Public License ("GPL") version 2 as published by the Free
      - * Software Foundation.

          Alternatively generally infers a choice.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    4. Re:Licenses don't work that way by argent · · Score: 1

      That seems like an odd thing to include, since the current BSDL already permits redistribution under the terms of the GPL version 2. That kind of dual-licensing is normally only used when the licenses aren't compatible in that way.

      Who put that text in there? It appears in files with multiple original authors. What was the history of this particular boilerplate, and was it introduced by someone who had the right to do so?

    5. Re:Licenses don't work that way by argent · · Score: 1

      Very good, you had me going for almost half an hour, before I noticed that text was not in all the files that were modified and had the BSD license or Reyk's license (which is even less restrictive than the BSD one) stripped out.

  88. I'm disappointed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is this Slashdot? Where's the flamewar, the zealotory?
    I have read only calm, (mostly) informed opinions so far.
    I'm deeply disappointed.

  89. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    -snip- Theo and Company happen to be VERY obnoxious at times. -/snip-

    Well, I don't know about the "and Company", But Theo is a blowhard asshat (come to think of it, I will include "and company" in that comment). See, I personally can be ALMOST as obnoxious as he (and they) are usually. I once made an innocuous comment (one line, tongue-in-cheek irony, not flame) on a BSD forum and got a multi-page flame-and-hate mail in response (I don't remember if it was from Theo personally or from "and company", nor do I care). It seems that "BSD" means "flame, hate, and arrogance" not "an open source license". It also means "don't confuse me with facts, only MY opinions matter, if you disagree you are not human and I will tell you so". I had considered using BSD licensing on some code, but after that experience, I would in no way wish to be associated with the "BSD fanboys". So, for me, "LONG LIVE the GPL"!

  90. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Phroggy · · Score: 1

    Since you seem to have a good handle on this I'll ask you: See what happens when you sound assertive enough on Slashdot? People are suckered into thinking you actually know what you're talking about! :-D

    Sifting through the linked discussion and Theo's flames, I ran across an argument about the nature of dual-licensing. Someone mentioned that the GPL has wording to the effect of "You must give others the same freedoms that you had when you received the software" - I presume that's from the preamble or something higher-level than legalese. Still, could that be properly interpreted to mean that, under the terms of the GPL itself, if you receive a piece of software that is dual-licensed, you are required to preserve both licenses in your redistribution? I kind of doubt it, but I wonder what the argument in that case would be. You should read the GPL sometime.

    5. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it.

    Or the new GPL v3.0:

    9. Acceptance Not Required for Having Copies.
    You are not required to accept this License in order to receive or run a copy of the Program. Ancillary propagation of a covered work occurring solely as a consequence of using peer-to-peer transmission to receive a copy likewise does not require acceptance. However, nothing other than this License grants you permission to propagate or modify any covered work. These actions infringe copyright if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or propagating a covered work, you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so.

    No, you're not required to accept the GPL at all, and if you choose not to accept it, then you are not bound by its terms. This section says nothing else grants you permission, but in the case of dual-licensed software, that's not the case: you can choose to accept the other license, and be bound by its terms instead.
    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  91. Re:No... It's about something a little different.. by Workaphobia · · Score: 1

    The argument was more along the lines of, if you accept the GPL and agree to be bound by its terms as opposed to the other license's, you are still bound by both because the GPL would require you to respect all the terms under which you originally received the software. Which I don't believe to be true, but that was what they claimed.

    It also appears that Theo is now claiming dual licensing is required by law to be preserved. More on this in that article's thread I suppose.

    --
    Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
  92. *cough* by msimm · · Score: 1

    Right. So you're saying basically exactly what I just said. Anonymously. Good job. Anyway, viral is pretty inaccurate. Very FUD'y. Viral implies that the code is somehow infected. But it's not actually that way at all. The code is exactly as it always was. What happens is there becomes a copy and that copy, which has been modified, is now licensed as if it was an independent work.

    You see? You're code was never infected. It's right where you left it. Exactly as it was to start. The new fork continues under a new set of terms. You can use it (as often happens) or you can ignore it. But if you want to stipulate what happens to your code downstream you are probably using the worst possible license for it. In fact I'd suggest that you really don't believe in the terms of the BSD license at all. Which is too bad, I think it's a pretty good idea. But I favor this other.

    --
    Quack, quack.
  93. BSD permits derivative works by Rex1Ballard · · Score: 1

    Keep in mind that the BSD License does not prohibit the creation of derivative works under other licenses. For example, the BSD Sockets drivers were repackaged by Microsoft as WinSock for Windows NT. As a result, there is nothing improper about publishing an enhanced version, a derivative work, under the GNU Public license, or similar license. Where things get sticky is that just as patches and changes made to the Microsoft version are protected under Microsoft's propriatery copyrights and NDAs, so to are patches made to the GNU version only permitted under the GNU license.

    Linux users have used the Atheros MadWifi drivers for quite a while now, but when HAL changes required to support the AR5008 chip were delayed excessively, a new version, under GPL, called DadWifi was created. This version had the HAL changes, but since they were not done by the "official" maintainer, were not subject to the BSD license.

    It seems that some vendors are not happy, because it appears that the Windows version may have also been based on the BSD version, and now the Linux version works, and Microsoft can't get the patches legally.

    --
    IBM Certified IT Architect http://www.open4success.org