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 Entire forum ➜ MUSHclient ➜ General ➜ MUSHclient now Freeware

MUSHclient now Freeware

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Posted by David Haley   USA  (3,881 posts)  Bio
Date Reply #30 on Mon 02 Apr 2007 12:21 AM (UTC)
Message
Well, first off, IANAL. However the license gives me the "right to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so", not the obligation. I don't see why that license forces me to keep the same distribution policy. For instance, I get your code, and make some changes to it. Your license, as far as I can tell, doesn't prevent me from keeping those changes to myself and selling them, which seemed to be what you wanted to avoid previously.

I think the only way you can limit the distribution to the same terms as yours (i.e. keeping it unrestricted) you would have to introduce some kind of "copy-left" clause, which is what the GPL family tends to do.

And if you want to restrict the commercial use, you'd need something to that effect as well.

David Haley aka Ksilyan
Head Programmer,
Legends of the Darkstone

http://david.the-haleys.org
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Posted by Nick Gammon   Australia  (23,133 posts)  Bio   Forum Administrator
Date Reply #31 on Mon 02 Apr 2007 12:40 AM (UTC)
Message
As I read it you have the "right to use it" ... "subject to the condition that" ... "the copyright notice be included".

Am I misreading this? It seems to me that the way it reads you can use it, but on the condition that the notice stays with the copy, and the notice gives you the right, free of charge, to distribute it.

- Nick Gammon

www.gammon.com.au, www.mushclient.com
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Posted by David Haley   USA  (3,881 posts)  Bio
Date Reply #32 on Mon 02 Apr 2007 12:58 AM (UTC)
Message
Well, yes, I can do what I want with it as long as I include the copyright notice. That still doesn't prevent me from selling it, and in particular it doesn't prevent me from keeping my modifications to myself.

For example, I believe this license would allow me to distribute (and sell) binaries of a modified MUSHclient without distributing the source, as long as I include the copyright notice.

David Haley aka Ksilyan
Head Programmer,
Legends of the Darkstone

http://david.the-haleys.org
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Posted by Nick Gammon   Australia  (23,133 posts)  Bio   Forum Administrator
Date Reply #33 on Mon 02 Apr 2007 01:20 AM (UTC)
Message
I think that is exactly what Zeno, for example, wants to do. See:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?id=7737

His plan to make a special identification sequence would come undone a bit if he had to supply the source code for his changes.

I understand the license permits selling, but how big a problem is that? If the official copy is available for free, how much money could you realistically make by selling a modified version? The modifications would have to be pretty damn good.

I think the other problem with insisting that source accompany derived works (like the GPL does), is that it can be a bit onerous. For example, a MUD makes available MUSHclient, possibly slightly modified, but has to supply 400 source files as well - to players who probably couldn't care less about them, and would just find them confusing. To say nothing of the size increase that would make to the download.

- Nick Gammon

www.gammon.com.au, www.mushclient.com
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Posted by Nick Gammon   Australia  (23,133 posts)  Bio   Forum Administrator
Date Reply #34 on Mon 02 Apr 2007 01:22 AM (UTC)
Message
It seems to me that a potentially bigger problem is that someone might take the source, add trojan horses or viruses to it, claim to have made improvements, and then give it away.

To guard against that I would suggest that players obtain their copies from this site, or if they have got one from another place, compare the MD5 sums to make sure the file is a "good" one.

- Nick Gammon

www.gammon.com.au, www.mushclient.com
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Posted by David Haley   USA  (3,881 posts)  Bio
Date Reply #35 on Mon 02 Apr 2007 02:00 AM (UTC)
Message
Well, you don't have to make the source available with the binary download, you just have to make the source available to those who ask for it, perhaps as a separate download -- is my understanding. (But yes, this would pose a problem for systems like Zeno's which require some secret to be exchanged.)

I think your license is fine in general; I was just commenting with respect to your previous reluctance of letting people sell it.

David Haley aka Ksilyan
Head Programmer,
Legends of the Darkstone

http://david.the-haleys.org
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