Hi Gary, Gary from Autodesk here.
I am doing this as we speak. In fact I started making my first calls about 2 weeks ago. I just got a call from one 2 minutes ago from someone at one those companies and they are interested in discussing what it would mean to join. Involving other companies is actually something I have been clear I wanted to do from the outset. Since I'm good acquaintances with my peers at most of those companies and had hinted at our open source intentions before with some of them, I am hopeful they will join us in this adventure based on initial interest. Now, let me ask people here something, in my mind, if someone wants to join the foundation, they should contribute something to the foundation or agree to either support or use MapServer in their products, though. What do you think? And to be clear, I wouldn't care which code base they wanted to use. I will address your comments about foundation control in another email. Suffice it to say that we'd be incredibly stupid to help establish a foundation in which Autodesk or any other corporate entity has "control" - who would want to contribute their work if we did that? We wouldn't. Gary -----Original Message----- From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gary Watry Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 11:30 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] epiphany about the idea of the Foundation Being as this is a non-profit open source Foundation, I hope that we will ask the other commercial Internet map software companies to join the Foundation in the same manner as AutoDesk. This should include ESRI, Integraph, Microstation, MapInfo, DeLorme, etc etc Anyone who has a vested interest in Internet Mapping should be asked to contribute and participate. If they opt not to - fine - but then they are on record for choosing not to play But then the contributors could insure their other products were compatible with MapServer(OS) and that it was compatible with their products. The two fold benefit to this is 1. the foundation will not be concieved as a partner to Autodesk 2. Autodesk or no other Commercial company will control the Foundation ______________________________________________________________ Gary L. Watry GIS Coordinator Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies FSU / COAPS Johnson Building, RM 215 2035 East Paul Dirac Drive Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2840 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Lester Caine Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 2:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] current OS license Charlton Purvis wrote: > Hi, folks: > > Although there continues to be an open source spirit surrounding the code > amid the launch of a MS Foundation, I'd like to ask for clarification re. > the license of the MS code as it stands now. > > If for whatever reason a company like Autodesk (or I guess it would have to > be the Foundation) wanted to slap some kind of non-open source license on > the code, is it true that the current code we call MapServer in its current > state will always remain covered under the license below? Basically I'm > trying to make sure that a shop can't somehow repossess something that was > originally OS thus preventing folks from using it like it's being used now. Borland tried it with Interbase, but Firebird is now freely available and there is not a lot Borland can now do about it ;) I am sure Autocad have a 'hidden agenda' but as long as there are free versions of what ever is needed to provide a working system then there will not be a problem. Anything commercial will have to be worth the money to make any sales :) p.s. I am not seeing my posts to the list so if you get this Charlton and it's not on the list please can you forward it :( -- Lester Caine ----------------------------- L.S.Caine Electronic Services Treasurer - Firebird Foundation Inc.
