http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/ Ramblings on software, law, and the spaces in between. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:53:33 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-29814 Safe as Milk » Blog Archive » Save Sun jobs, let Oracle finalise acquisition Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:34:54 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-29814 [...] have certain licensing policies if you’re friendly, but not if you aren’t. Luis Villa set me straight on this point a few years back, and it has stuck with me: “what if the corporate winds [...] [...] have certain licensing policies if you’re friendly, but not if you aren’t. Luis Villa set me straight on this point a few years back, and it has stuck with me: “what if the corporate winds [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-29217 Newsfeeds Thu, 21 May 2009 03:02:48 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-29217 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] community-controlled copyright assignment assignees and for-profit copyright assignees. He quotes Luis Villa to make the point that companies, ultimately, aren't the best destinations as a final home of FLOSS [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] community-controlled copyright assignment assignees and for-profit copyright assignees. He quotes Luis Villa to make the point that companies, ultimately, aren’t the best destinations as a final home of FLOSS [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-29194 Luis Villa: UbuntuOne trademark- well, duh | Techie News Thu, 14 May 2009 23:27:33 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-29194 [...] in this bug about the ‘confusion’ caused by the Ubuntu One mark didn’t read my old posts on trusting open source companies or my (old, not terribly good) trademark paper. To paraphrase the [...] [...] in this bug about the ‘confusion’ caused by the Ubuntu One mark didn’t read my old posts on trusting open source companies or my (old, not terribly good) trademark paper. To paraphrase the [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-29192 Luis Villa’s Blog / UbuntuOne trademark- well, duh Thu, 14 May 2009 22:02:10 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-29192 [...] about the ‘confusion’ caused by the Ubuntu One mark didn’t read my old posts on trusting open source companies or my (old, not terribly good) trademark paper. To paraphrase the [...] [...] about the ‘confusion’ caused by the Ubuntu One mark didn’t read my old posts on trusting open source companies or my (old, not terribly good) trademark paper. To paraphrase the [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-29059 SFLC Blog - Software Freedom Law Center Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:22:49 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-29059 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] community-controlled copyright assignment assignees and for-profit copyright assignees. He quotes Luis Villa to make the point that companies, ultimately, aren't the best destinations as a final home of FLOSS [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] community-controlled copyright assignment assignees and for-profit copyright assignees. He quotes Luis Villa to make the point that companies, ultimately, aren’t the best destinations as a final home of FLOSS [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-9105 AC/OS: Just what is open source Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:24:45 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-9105 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] stop me from helping Fedora. (Note that this implies a very high standard for governance; see my rants about not trusting 'open source' companies.)If one must assess companies as a whole, two suggestions (both of which are standards and not clear [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] stop me from helping Fedora. (Note that this implies a very high standard for governance; see my rants about not trusting ‘open source’ companies.)If one must assess companies as a whole, two suggestions (both of which are standards and not clear [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-3805 Luis Villa’s Blog » SFLC note on MS patent pledge- revocable?!? Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:42:33 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-3805 [...] As I’ve said before (and hope to get to in yet more detail this weekend) you can only depend on a company as far as you can throw their contract with you. You cannot rely on them otherwise. If this pledge is revocable (and I have only Brad’s word for that right now), you can’t depend on it, period. [...] [...] As I’ve said before (and hope to get to in yet more detail this weekend) you can only depend on a company as far as you can throw their contract with you. You cannot rely on them otherwise. If this pledge is revocable (and I have only Brad’s word for that right now), you can’t depend on it, period. [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-3290 Luis Villa’s Blog » IBM patents Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:48:48 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-3290 [...] Some time ago I talked about trusting open source companies, with the bottom line being ‘trust them as far as their licenses and their profit motives let you, and not a bit further.’ IBM has generally been very good about supporting open source, and as steven says, they’ve been very up front about their motivations- they are doing it because they want to make money, and they think open source and open standards help them make money. [...] [...] Some time ago I talked about trusting open source companies, with the bottom line being ‘trust them as far as their licenses and their profit motives let you, and not a bit further.’ IBM has generally been very good about supporting open source, and as steven says, they’ve been very up front about their motivations- they are doing it because they want to make money, and they think open source and open standards help them make money. [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-2680 Luis Villa’s Blog » What the kernel guys are and aren’t (and really should be) saying about GPL v3 Fri, 22 Sep 2006 22:36:24 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-2680 [...] So, yeah. That’s really what it took them five pages to say. I think, put that way, they’ve got a fairly sound argument- clearly lots of people would want to use a GPL 2.1 that had the same focus as GPL v2, but with more refined legal safeguards. I personally would prefer a GPL v3, that prevents people from using my code to create devices whose primary purpose is to deliver DRMd content, and which protects me from the patent portfolios of companies which I may like but can’t trust. But clearly that is a difference of opinion that merely having an open comment period is not going to paper over. [...] [...] So, yeah. That’s really what it took them five pages to say. I think, put that way, they’ve got a fairly sound argument- clearly lots of people would want to use a GPL 2.1 that had the same focus as GPL v2, but with more refined legal safeguards. I personally would prefer a GPL v3, that prevents people from using my code to create devices whose primary purpose is to deliver DRMd content, and which protects me from the patent portfolios of companies which I may like but can’t trust. But clearly that is a difference of opinion that merely having an open comment period is not going to paper over. [...]

]]> http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-2099 Luis Villa’s Blog » Miscymiscmisc. Thu, 31 Aug 2006 03:35:44 +0000 http://tieguy.org/blog/2006/06/07/on-trusting-open-source-companies/#comment-2099 [...] Jono: totally agreed that Ubuntu’s process is generally quite transparent and an example for others. That said, the profit- what you note as ‘cheap labo[u]r’- is and must be important. Corporations get involved and stay involved because of profit. Corporations that are making money off free software are predictable and reliable (just like corporations that are locked down by licenses); corporations that are doing free software out of the goodness of their heart are not necessarily either predictable nor reliable. [...] [...] Jono: totally agreed that Ubuntu’s process is generally quite transparent and an example for others. That said, the profit- what you note as ‘cheap labo[u]r’- is and must be important. Corporations get involved and stay involved because of profit. Corporations that are making money off free software are predictable and reliable (just like corporations that are locked down by licenses); corporations that are doing free software out of the goodness of their heart are not necessarily either predictable nor reliable. [...]

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