JackOfAll wrote: > > > > Krisbee wrote: > > But I have a direct question. The -*the protection of a limited > > liability company*- was mentioned. Would the creation of such an entity > > have avoided legal problems? Would you then have been able to create & > > distribute images for various ARM devices, host repos etc, free from > > legal threat and interference? Or it is more complicated than that? If > > the answer is it wouldn't have made much difference, then how does > > anyone ever get anywhere with anything? Or, perhaps there's something > > unique about content of this project that's has drawn the attention of > > potential litigants?> > > > > I really want to answer this, but it is rather a long answer and right > now, other things, (getting the repo hosted elsewhere), are more > important.
I was hoping Clive would have time to answer my question, #2492 appears to offer a possible immunity blueprint for any future efforts, but leaves things unanswered. Perhaps it's not posslbe to illucidate further in plublic. Triode wrote: > ...I'm afraid the legal issues which Clive has identified distributing > an OS image also mean that I am personally not in a position to take on > distribution of CSOS images. > > However I do want to find a way of distributing the playback software to > users of wandboard devices. I am looking at whether we can distribute > code in a different way to enable users to get the same applications on > their wandboard without needing to distribute an OS image. This will > make the distribution mechanism less user friendly, but I hope it will > mean that there are options for users with wandboards wishing to use as > squeezebox players which can be supported going forward. > > Adrian This is perfeclty understandable, but without full knowledge my suggestion might seem naive. Would it not have been possible to create and distribute a Fedora based image with the patched kernel and root file system, but devoid of the jivelite/squeezelite/webUI/LMS content, or parts of, which lead the distributer to be open to legal claim? This assumes that some of the original image content was to blame for these legal threats. and/or those buying Wandboard assumed some ongoing support etc etc. The "jivelite/squeezelite/webUI/LMS" parts would need to be installed after the image is running on the Wandboard. I haven't expressed this very well, but in a nutshell the CSOS Image would be like any other speclalist Linux distro install with a mechanism/scripts to install the vital content, with licences, once the image is up and running. This is hardly different to the original pre-built image which was Patched Kernel + rfs + csos repos, so may be all same legal issues would still apply. It also assumes ongoing access to the patched kernel and repos that previously existed. JackOfAll wrote: > I don't know whether others will see this as good news, or bad..... > > In the interests of disclosure and before any rumours start circulating, > (a couple of other people know now), I am in discussions with a company > about them selling a product based on my, (what would otherwise have > never seen a public release), Bone Player design. Whilst that will be > for profit, (by them), before any accusations are levelled about me > profiteering from the open source work of others, the payment I have > asked for, is if they do so using the F20 based image I have produced, > they have to make a community image available, free of charge, for the > Wandboard. ... Good news re: Bone Player if cost is reasonable, bad news if company dodge the community image. Personally, I can't see a company wanting to maintain a free image and would be likely to add to the Bone Player cost to re-coup any expenditure involved with that free image. > > For the current incantation of my F20 based image, which the Bone Player > depends on, a single image is built from scratch, using exactly the same > mechanism that Fedora upstream uses to generate their release images, > with customisations and package additions, which runs on several > platforms. And before anyone asks how that is possible, (if anyone even > cares), booting the same image on Wandboard, Cubietruck and BeagleBone, > without modifying it post download.... The clever bit, if there is such > a thing, that makes it board specific when downloaded, is although on > the web server filesystem the base image is one file, the Tomcat > servlet, which handles the download, where you select the board, > replaces the first couple of kb, where the board specific uboot is > located, on-the-fly, as part of the download. Thus you get a board > specific image, from a single core image. ie. the uboot is added as part > of the download process. (Another significant piece to the puzzle was > the back-port of the extlinux boot functionality from F21 rawhide to the > F20 image, thus dropping the requirement for the first partition VFAT, > for booting the BeagleBone.) Bad news if this work now passes into the hands of a "for profit" company and is lost to the open community. Doesn't it also give the "for profit" company a rapid way to create and sell a cubietruck image if they so wish? Any work you may have done for the Cubietruck will be lost to the open community. > If this doesn't sit well with one or more people, I am sorry, but I > believe if this deal is done, it will be best for me and the best I can > currently do for the people who own and have bought a Wandboard, with > the specific intention of using what should have been a Community > Squeeze image, on them. > > Perhaps over a period of time, the community, can > develop/build/distribute their own software images, but in the interests > of having something actually available to replace the CS image in the > short term, I think this makes sense. If it makes me a pariah from a > community perspective, so be it. I think people will/should understanad you have been forced into this position and was clearly not the outcome you ever imagined or wanted. Again, personally, I don't see that "the community" ever will develop/build/distribute their own software image". Yours is a salutory story of how the best of intentions can rapidly sour, and who will be willing to step into your shoes, and who has your expertise to duplicate what you've done? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Krisbee's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=59080 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=99395 _______________________________________________ unix mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/unix
