On Tue, 23 Jun 2009, Alan Coopersmith wrote: > Dean Anderson wrote: > > You _do_ want to use Motif in your programs because it is a standardized > > widget set developed by the Open Software Foundation (OSF). Now known as > > The Open Group (of X/Open, X Consortium, and OSF), Motif was made free > > software in 2000. Prior to that, a small source license fee was > > required. > > Motif is only free if your application is running on "an open source > operating system", under license terms that even open source operating > systems like Fedora & Debian find unacceptable for including in their > distros. Attempts to get the license changed have so far failed, and > the Open Group's resistance to change only dooms it to further obscurity.
Err, the Motif license is more open than the BSD Licence. Its not the GPL, but its no impediment. Open Motif is only free to other open source operating systems. And the non-free Motif license is/was (I think) $2000.00. http://www.opengroup.org/openmotif/license/ "Open Source" programs mean software for which the source code is available without confidential or trade secret restrictions and for which the source code and object code are available for distribution without license charges. "The rights granted under this license are limited solely to distribution and sublicensing of the Contribution(s) on, with, or for operating systems which are themselves Open Source programs." The Motif license also allows one to distribute only binaries like the BSD license---contrary licenses like the GPL, so of course GNU (Debian) won't like it. But Fedora has no problem with closed source software (RMS doesn't approve of Fedora for that reason) While I can understand why RMS would criticize the licence---it allows a path to take code closed source--so does the BSD license, one wonders why anyone would /need/ the license changed or wouldn't use it because of the license. I don't see many objections to BSD code because of its BSD-style license. > Motif applications do not work with accessibility helpers, thus will not > comply with regulations and laws such as US Government Sec. 508, the > Americans with Disabilities Act, and similar laws in the EU and other > countries. That is just wrong. The Motif folks invented a lot of that stuff. Anyway, here's an example of what to do in any Motif-based application: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-customlaf/ > Motif in OpenSolaris is not being actively enhanced, developed or maintained, > so it really is considered legacy software here. Motif is not really in need of of enhancement--its a standardized GUI-- and others maintain it. 'Legacy software' is that software which doesn't fit with your current architecture. The architecture of your application is the same whether you use one widget set or another. This is an incorrect label for Motif. --Dean -- Av8 Internet Prepared to pay a premium for better service? www.av8.net faster, more reliable, better service 617 344 9000 _______________________________________________ opensolaris-code mailing list opensolaris-code@opensolaris.org http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/opensolaris-code
