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HP Launches FOSSology Open Source Tracking Tool

Posted by kdawson on from the it-is-not-a-lawyer dept.

cpudney writes "An article in Computerworld UK reports on a new open source analysis initiative launched by Hewlett-Packard. The FOSSology Project's mission is to 'build a community to facilitate the study of Free and Open Source Software by providing free data analysis tools.' The first such tool reports how an open source project is licensed. Rather than simply collecting a project's advertised license, the tool analyzes all of the source code for a given project and reports all of the licenses being used, based on the license declarations and tell-tale phrases that identify software licensing. A video demonstrating the tool applied to abiword is available. The FOSSology source code is licensed under GPLv2."

8 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. how... meta. by sootman · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, it's an open-source tool that evaluates how open-source open-source software is? Wow. If ever there was an app that demanded a recursive acronym, this is it. Any suggestions?

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    1. Re:how... meta. by dozer · · Score: 2, Funny

      yaossfsck?

    2. Re:how... meta. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      If they had just called it "FOSS" (which is taken, I know. Bear with me...) then it could be "FOSS is an Open Source Scanner"

      *shrug*

    3. Re:how... meta. by jd · · Score: 2, Funny
      • TOSTOSTOS: The Open Sourceness Testing Open Source Tool for Openable Source Tarballs
      • ROSCROSC: ROSCROSC Open Source Checker Recursively Open Source Checks
      • YIARAFARACOSL: YIARAFARACOSL Is A Recursive Acronym For A Recursive Application Checking Open Source Licenses

      P.S. SCO changed their copy. If the filename starts with linux-2.6, it prints "Owned By SCO" 250 times. I hear they plan to use their version when they appeal.

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  2. Don't Let SCO see this. by WallyDrinkBeer · · Score: 5, Funny

    This could be a disaster.

    SCO will run Linux through this tool and find out all the stuff in their that has /* Copyright 1982 SCO */ in the headers.

    Arghh.

  3. GPLv2? by dacut · · Score: 2, Funny

    The FOSSology source code is licensed under GPLv2 Does it just say GPLv2 in their license file, or did they properly analyze the source to determine it was GPLv2?
  4. rename it to Ono by Gary+W.+Longsine · · Score: 2, Funny

    In light of the BSD tidbit above, it could be renamed: OhNO! ... ONO's Not militantly Open enough! (where the "militantly" and "enough" are silent.)

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  5. Ummmm.... by vlad_petric · · Score: 2, Funny

    SCO who?

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