[SunRescue] djbdns, BIND, and DNS Security

[Joshua D. Boyd]

>From a freedom issue, there isn't anything wrong with your license.
You've probably read RMS's comments on what he calls nuisance clauses
(clause 3), so I won't say anything more than I mostly agree with him, but
I don't let them keep me from using the software.

My big problem with your license is the logistics issue.  For instance,
what happens if I try to combine your code with GPL'ed code (I really like
libreadline, but all programs written with it must be GPL)?  What if
I try to combine it with MPL code? Maybe nothing bad, because I'm sure
your reasonable, but I don't know how much of a prick the Readline guy is.
If you code were straight BSD without any changes, than I could blindly
follow RMS's comments on combining BSD and GPL.

Maybe I'm too much of a pessimist, but clashing licences and any liability
that they might expose me to really worry. (as you could guess, I also
abhore UCITA mainly because it might hold be finacially responsible for
bugs in code I give away for free, or so I've been led to believe).

As to distributing patches, yeah, I think anyone can.  They are a pain
though (because multiple patches might conflict, thus giving birth to
projects like MegaPov and Lame, which were both large patch sets against
software that wasn't friendly to being forked).

--
Joshua Boyd

On Mon, 28 May 2001, Greg A. Woods wrote:

> [ On Monday, May 28, 2001 at 17:07:45 (-0400), Joshua D. Boyd wrote: ]
> > Subject: Re: [SunRescue] djbdns, BIND, and DNS Security
> >
> > He doesn't say anything anywhere about whether we can or can't distribute
> > source changes, which is another major hole.
> 
> I think even in the grand old U.S. of A. anyone can still distribute
> patches to any software (at least any not protected by trade secret
> law).  It's simply called "fair use" under the Copyright Act.  I suppose
> there might be some complication in places where shrink-wrap contract
> licenses are permitted (and even some so-called freeware licenses are in
> effect shrink-wrap contract licenses because I'll bet if you tried to
> enforce them under pure copyright law they just wouldn't hold any water.)
> 
> > I'm sorry, people with strang licences and who complain about them not
> > being accepted annoy me.  Frankly, I wish everything were confined to 6
> > licenses.  The GPL, LGPL, BSD, Artistic, Public Domain, or something that
> > is very clearly proprietary.
> 
> Well, you'll never get that to happen!  ;-)
> 
> I don't think there's any major problem with my copyright license,
> though some people have refused to accept it.  Of course I don't
> complain about that -- I just don't let them use my software!  ;-)
> 
> It is, of course, mostly a BSD-style license, with some key corrections:
> 
> /*
>  * Copyright (c) 2001 Greg A. Woods <woods at weird.com>
>  * 
>  * Redistribution of this software in both source and binary forms, with
>  * or without modification, is permitted provided that all of the
>  * following conditions are met:
>  * 
>  * 1. Redistributions of source code, either alone or as part of a
>  *    collective work, must retain this entire copyright notice, and the
>  *    following disclaimer, without alteration, in each file that
>  *    contains part of this software.
>  * 
>  * 2. Redistributions of this software in binary form, either alone or
>  *    as part of a collective work, must reproduce this entire copyright
>  *    notice, and the following disclaimer, without alteration, in
>  *    either the documentation (as text files in electronic media, or in
>  *    printed matter), and/or any original header files from this
>  *    software as per the previous term, and/or other materials provided
>  *    as part of the distribution.
>  * 
>  * 3. Collective works including this software must also include the
>  *    following acknowledgement, either alone or as part of this entire
>  *    copyright license, in any printed documentation accompanying a
>  *    physical distribution (if there is printed documentation), and in
>  *    a plain text file separate from the archive files (but perhaps
>  *    along with other similar acknowledgments) on any electronic
>  *    medium:
>  * 
>  * 	This product includes software developed by Greg A. Woods.
>  * 
>  * 4. The name of the author may NOT be used to endorse or promote
>  *    products derived from this software without specific prior written
>  *    permission.  The use of the author's name strictly to meet the
>  *    requirements of the previous terms is not to be considered
>  *    promotion or endorsement under this term.
>  * 
>  * 5. Altered versions (derivative works) must be plainly marked as
>  *    such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original
>  *    software.  This copyright notice, and the following disclaimer,
>  *    must not be removed from any derivative work and must not be
>  *    changed in any way.
>  * 
>  * All other rights are reserved.
>  * 
>  * DISCLAIMER:
>  * 
>  * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY GREG A. WOODS ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS
>  * OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
>  * WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
>  * ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY
>  * DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
>  * DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE
>  * GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
>  * INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER
>  * IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
>  * OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN
>  * IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
>  */
> 
> (I suppose I should add that I'll freely grant the right to use this
> license text itself to anyone, under the same conditions....  :-)
> 
> -- 
> 							Greg A. Woods
> 
> +1 416 218-0098      VE3TCP      <gwoods at acm.org>     <woods at robohack.ca>
> Planix, Inc. <woods at planix.com>;   Secrets of the Weird <woods at weird.com>
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