Re: SEUL: Licenses was Re: Caldera

[EAMorical@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/20/98 6:39:46 AM EST, arma@mit.edu writes:

<< Are there other groups out there that are interested in doing
 localization efforts for netscape? what about other programs? (it doesn't
 look like the caldera/netscape agreement applies to other programs..) I
 have very little knowledge of this area. >>

Roger,
We need to do something about looking into the whole issue of licenses. We
have the general concept of the meaning of GPL and LGPL. I thought the MPL was
very similar to GPL. That anyone could take the entire code and go off and do
whatever they wanted to it as long as they didn't restrict anyone else from
doing the same to what they had done. This of course is the problem with these
non-GPL licenses. At some point someone is going to want to localize
everything available for education. So much for software. Recently it has
crossed my mind that there is a problem with the translation of documents such
as what the White Horse school intends to do. The documents are copyrighted.
One can't do anything to them. I just looked at the LDP. One needs the authors
permission to translate. I tried to look at OPL but I couldn't reach it. What
about documentation we create. How do we want to license it. It is my
intention for anything I do to be available to everybody to add to, enhance,
translate, whatever they want to do to it as long as they don't restrict
others from doing likewise. What about the SEUL web site. Can someone localize
it (translate it into their native language) and set it up for their people.
What about information in general. Just sitting here thinking, I can see
several issues. There is basic information. I'll call it raw information. What
about information derived from it. Digital information (a set of zeroes and
ones), etc. etc. People are just starting to think about it. See
http://www.anatomy.usyd.edu.au/danny/freedom/ip/aidfs.html. I've said it
before. Six years ago when I first saw GPL, I realized it isn't about
software. Its about information in general. It's about zeroes and ones. A set
of zeroes and ones is a number defined as: Every number has a successor. Zero
is a number. As Danny Yee brings up in the above url, it's all about control.
It is people grabbing a number and saying, "This is my number and I'm going to
control what everyone else can do with it". We need to grab as many numbers as
we can and say, "These belong to humanity". The question is, "What is the
license for zeores and ones for humanity".

1999 The Year Of Linux
Make It Happen

Bob