Slashdot Mirror
Examining Software Liability In the Open Source Community
snydeq writes "Guidelines from the American Law Institute that seek to hold vendors liable for 'knowingly' shipping buggy software could have dramatic impact on the open source community, as vague language around a 'free software' exemption could put open source developers at litigation risk. Meant to protect open source developers, the 'free software' exemption does not take into account the myriad ways in which vendors receive revenue from software products, according to a joint letter drafted by Microsoft and the Linux Foundation. As such, the guidelines — which, although not binding, are likely to prove influential on future lawsuits, according to attorneys on both sides of the issue — call into question the notion of liability in the open source community, where any number of coders may be responsible for any given defect."
So now I can sue if I get open sores due to a flaw in open sores software? Sweet.
August 6th, 1945 A Day That Will Live in Infamy!!
Happy anniversary, Hiroshima !!
By the way, is that Hero'-she-ma or is it Her-row'-chi-ma ??
No, because most people are ignorant and/or stupid. They will often blame Microsoft for any computer problem. Bad hard drive, faulty memory, seized cooling fan? I've heard people blame Microsoft for symptoms that occurred due to these exact problems. I'm sure you would too, simply out of spite.
"When you see a unixer brainwashed beyond saving, kick him out of the door." - Xah Lee