I generally agree with Even's comments. W.r.t. Not requireing other licenses clause, I would like to add a question about how this would apply to free software that is mostly intended to operate with non-free data? e.g. GDAL drivers that enable reading proprietary formats via a vendor SDK or formats that tend to only be used with strictly licensed data or reading data from non-open standards based web services (where you only control the client but the client is pointless without a running server which requires its own separate license).
On Aug 19, 2017 08:40, "Even Rouault" <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Angelos, > > > > thanks for turning those discussions into a positive way forward and your > proposal sounds good to me. A few comments below. > > > > > > > > I would like to propose a way forward: > > > > > > 1. We should *only* promote projects that are somehow affiliated with > OSGeo > > > (as other Free and Open Source organizations do eg. Apache, Eclipse) > > > > Makes sense. When you promote something on your website, you are somewhat > responsible for it, so you must ensure that it meets some minimum criteria > that are in the "OSGeo spirit" > > > > > A proposal for *new* rules: > > > > > * Has to have an OSI or FSF approved license and be found on the web in a > > > public place. > > > > Sounds obvious, but we should probably rephrase that "Source code is > released with an OSI or FSF approved license and is available on the web in > a public place." > > > > I know at least one project that is Apache licensed but released only as > binaries, which makes it not very convenient to modify :-) > > > > > * Has to be useful on its own with normal data, and NOT require another > > > license to really use it > > > > Is it something that is currently required for graduation ? I don't see > this criterion mentioned in > > http://www.osgeo.org/incubator/process/project_graduation_checklist.html > > > > That one is probably tricky to write correctly. Stated like this, that > would for example exclude a Windows executable, since to use it you must > own a Windows license... Even if you take a Linux executable that is X/MIT > licensed, it links against the GNU libc that is GPL licensed (but as GNU > libc is considered part of the OS, there's a provision in the GPL license > to not apply the GPL obligations to the code that links to it). Or if you > take a Java program, it must run within a JVM that comes with its own > license. Same for Python, etc... > > > > But beyond this nitpicking, that criterion can raise more fundamental > debates: > > * is the intent to exclude projects that would be open-source released > plugins of a proprietary software for example (the plugin could be an > exporter from proprietary formats/projects to open source ones for example) > ? > > * Or open-source released projects that would connect to a proprietary > server (just saw in LWN headlines that Debian is currently debating whether > they should allow OSS software that connect to proprietary services) ? > > * What about a fully open-source project that connects to a proprietary > service ? > > > > If I take the exemple of GDAL, the following situations can be found: > > * it is X/MIT licensed but can link to a few GPL licensed lib (poppler, > GRASS, ...) > > * it can link to proprietrary licensed libs > > * it can interact with proprietary services that have a public API, but > don't require linking against proprietary code > > * other/most parts are fully useful on their own > > > > So I think this question alone could deserve its own thread. > > > > > The project should need to officially apply for being included as OSGeo > > > Community Project, by answering a questionnaire (including information > > > gathering for the web site and provide a point of contact for maintaining > > > that information in the future) > > > > +1 > > > > Relation question: if OSGeo website promotes a community project, should > the website of this project (or github page if no dedicated website) links > to OSGeo one ? I'm not even sure this is a requirement for a graduated > project. > > > > Even > > > > > > -- > > Spatialys - Geospatial professional services > > http://www.spatialys.com > > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss >
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