I would like to see other institutions adopt and implement VCL from Apache and use VCL.insitution_name.edu as the local entry point to local service offering. Essentially that is what we are doing with VCL.ncsu.edu and what others are currently doing and/or planning on doing. This approach would clearly provide both a very strong Apache linkage (assuming Apache owns and promotes the VCL name and trademark) and an appropriate and necessary mechanism for institutions to add a local qualifier/identifier. Again, I don't see this as an NC State thing but rather a generic approach to a fully attributed use model. I am not an expert on the legal/policy limitations of Apache names but it seems to me this is an approach where everyone wins. Under this scenario I believe NCSU would gladly transfer the VCL name and trademark to Apache.
Seems to me that reasonable people acting with constructive collaborative intent could come to an agreement on a process that both meets Apache's requirements, satisfies the issue Henry cites, and leverages the history and momentum of efforts to date. This is America. Success requires a superb marketing and promotion strategy. Seems to me this is an easy yet incredible Apache "franchising" opportunity! Sam -----Original Message----- From: Henry E Schaffer [mailto:h...@unity.ncsu.edu] Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 8:21 PM To: vcl-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: VCL project name Kevan writes: > On May 1, 2009, at 3:28 PM, aaron_pee...@ncsu.edu wrote: > >Matt, Alan, Kevan, > > > >Any additional information on the project name ? > > > >I found this in the archives: > >http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/www-legal-discuss/200904.mbox/%3C4 d6e71c2-396a-4b02-afa9-041edd94f...@sun.com%3e > > > >In particular: > > > >"If you want to continue to use VCL, I'd recommend asking NCSU to make > >more obvious their donation to Apache and their intent to donate not > >only the code but the name. This would allow us to claim historic use > >of the name. If not, find another name." > > > >How do we donate the name? > > > >NCSU is taking efforts to make the donation more obvious at the ncsu > >site. > Hi Aaron, > Great. So, I don't know of an actual name "donation" process. I > thought the real issue was NCSU needed to *stop* using VCL. We'd love to have Apache use the name and own the name - if we could continue using it. Why do we want to continue using it? That's because we have over 10,000 actual users (mostly on our campus, but including a few thousand on other campuses) and I (speaking for me) think it would be a disaster to have all of them have to find the VCL at a different URL, working under a different name, with a differently named help desk and with changed documentation. If the *only* way we can continue using the VCL name/URL/... at NC State and the currently participating campuses is to choose a new name for the Apache code - then I think that we must choose a new name. Vcloud sounds good to me - I don't know if there are legal difficulties. (Note - we own the vcloud.org domain.) I hope the vcl-legal list particpants will provide some guidance. By the way, even though the vcloud.org domain currently resolves to our campus vcl.ncsu.edu domain - we would be glad to turn over ownership of the vcloud.org domain to Apache and it could point to whatever our Apache community feels appropriate. Other possibilities (for which we already own domains) include vcl-cloud, vclcloud and virtualcomputinglab. We're trying hard to find out what is the right thing to do with respect to naming in the Apache community. When we talked to Matt after the Cloud Computing Conference he pointed out that there wasn't a single fixed way of doing things in the Apache community, but that arriving at a community decision was the norm. > However, > I'm kind of a novice in these naming issues. Alan seems to be a better > resource... Great! -- --henry schaffer (trying to communicate the NC State ideas, but I'm not claiming to be an official spokesperson)
