>Uli : I think it's important that the editing environment we devise is
>always available for all users to expand upon.
Uli: I just wanted to add that I'd like CopyLeft *only* for the editing
environment we create. Of course it wouldn't apply to MetaCard itself.
>Alain : I understand what you are saying but I believe that what you
>are writing here is merely a hypothesis. In the end, you may be right,
>but I still clinging to the dream that a direct democracy that does not
>require any representatives is possible. A hypothesis too, of course.
Uli: Alain, I am Swiss and thus have a rather peculiar view of democracy,
being in one of the few countries where direct democracy has been realized
even down to a very basic decision. But I still believe that we need some
sort of president. There are always situations which require immediate
action and there needs to be a person who can make them instantly or we
might become immovable. We'd also have to decide which of the three
presidents (Collab, Prog and UI) is the last instance. I'm for Collab as
he'll have to be aware of everything anyway and UI and Prog are somewhat
specialized ("Fachidioten", as it is said in my native tongue)
>Alain : I beg to differ somewhat. The direct-democracy approach may be
>more complicated and slower, at first, but would pay off many times
>over later on down the road. Leaders who make "fast and efficient"
>decisions without consulting their constituents, almost invariably get
>it at least partially wrong. And, in any case, the leader's expediency
>does not rally the troops to his goals as optimally as would their
>participation in the goal-setting process.
Uli: I also agree on this. We're first and foremost a collaboration.
>Alain : What does the vice do ?
Uli: I meant a "vice president". Someone who takes care of everything when
the president is out, like it happened when the server was stolen. My
suggestion for a collaboration vice would be Adrian, as he instinctively
got things back in business again.
>Alain : Let's be clear that we are talking about the MetaCard-Engin
>only, eh.
Uli: MetaCard, not our UI prototype we create. That stack will be Open Source.
>Alain : How about a splash=screen instead ? I don't like the idea of
>displaying such a notice on every page of the OpenCard interface. The
>interface and the engin are two separate entities. Besides, the latter
>will eventually be replaced by our own engin.
Uli: Alain, remember this will be a prototype. With copies of MC that are
sold it'll look just like every other MetaCard stack. Only the MCs that UFP
members get and on which they'll develop it will have, say, a black bar
with a white Geneva 10 note that it's the UFP version. We also could leave
out the standalone maker. We'll be able to create the windows, make them
work, and when we're done we can port it to OpenCard.
>Uli : ...and they would slow down development too much.
>Alain : Sorry I don't follow. The pirating of MC would not slow down
>our development, unless MC decides to opt out.
Uli: Alain, if every 3 messages someone came in asking where he can get his
free MetaCard it would surely slow us down. I once ran a school newspaper
where they had put the "Internet" optional course on the same entry on the
Optional Courses sheet. And we had about a dozen of people in the first
meeting who said they'd be there even though I had mentioned the internet
stuff was a mistake. The next meeting we were five people left.
>Alain : Yes. We have to make the pirating of MC an unattractive
>prospect. But the scheme that we come up with must not hinder our
>development efforts nor OpenCard's OpenSource status.
Uli: It wouldn't. We'd create an OpenCard stack and convert it later. The
stack would be available to every registered MetaCard user.
>Alain : Here's a controversial proposition for solving the MC-engin
>licencing issue. Install a web robot in the MC-engin that acts like a
>homing-pigeon e.g. the robot would notify MetaCard of licence
>violations thru the WWW.
Uli: I hate that. Techniques like this (IE5's auto-install "feature" is one
of these, it could at least ask before doing that!!!) are only a millimeter
above viruses and worms on my list.
Cheers,
-- M. Uli Kusterer
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.weblayout.com/witness
'The Witnesses of TeachText are everywhere...'
--- HELP SAVE HYPERCARD: ---
Details at: http://www.hyperactivesw.com/SaveHC.html
Sign: http://www.giguere.uqam.ca/petition/hcpetition.html
