In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes
<SNIP>
On 15 Mar 2004 at 17:55, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Time for an offer: I could possibly be persuaded to try and integrate my drivers into SMSQ/E for the whole range of QL style machines, by a simple act of wisdom: Place SMSQ/E under the GPL. (I have no problem to accept modifications to allow QPC remain commercial.)
I know that this issue has come up before. There are a couple of QL programmers
that refuse to support SMSQ/E until it is GPL'd. There are others that feel that Tony
Tebby should still be compensated for his work.
The only middle ground that I can see is for the QL community, as a whole or part,
get together, pass the hat and buy the rights to SMSQ/E from Tony Tebby. At that
point the new "owners" of SMSQ/E could then release SMSQ/E under the GPL.
If I recall correctly this is what Tony Tebby did not want. If you all wind back to when it all got heated a while ago he said the current situation was what he wanted to happen. In truth, if you look at it, SMSQ/E has improved greatly since the licence came into being. Several long standing bugs have been removed and new features added. I have sold 5 copies of SMSQ/E to new users since it has been operating under the licence (which is five more than I expected) so I am not making a fortune out of it and I have updated a lot of people to the latest version with added manual pages and new disks all for a 1.60 pound copying fee so I have probably made a loss in it. I am however, very happy with the way the licence works as see no reason for it to change just to let people who are so blinkered in their attitude that they will not work for something which is not exactly how they want it to be.
I am off to bed after a hard evening mixing sound which was infinitely better than reading the same arguments over and over again.
--
Roy Wood
Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex.
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 386030 fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501
web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk
