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List:       kde-core-devel
Subject:    Re: Licensing alternative
From:       Roberto Alsina <ralsina () unl ! edu ! ar>
Date:       2000-01-26 20:34:26
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On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, Stefan Westerfeld wrote:

>    Hi!
> 
> On Wed, Jan 26, 2000 at 11:26:40PM -0100, Uwe Thiem wrote:
> > On Wed, 26 Jan 2000, Kurt Granroth wrote:
> > 
> > > Uwe Thiem wrote:
> > > > > I object.
> > > > 
> > > > Me too.
> > >  
> > > And again.. Why?
> > 
> > Pretty obvious I guess. By including those lines we implicitely state
> > there has been a problem with GPL and KDE before while I think there
> > has been none. Don't acknowledge a problem if there was none. ;-)
> 
> Hey.... last time when I checked we were trying to write free software,
> not to win a war. ;)
> 
> There exists a real problem. The real problem is that Debian isn't
> shipping KDE. Now, you can say that is their problem but that doesn't
> help anybody who is using Debian.
> 
> You can't even blame them for not interpreting the GPL the same way
> as we do, since reading and understanding that document as normal human
> being is close to impossible (as the ongoing license discussions show).
> 
> So there is a real problem, regardless of whether we have been always
> right.
> 
> Clarifying the issue seems to be possible with three harmless lines. I
> don't think that the "we-were-always-right" position is useful here.
> Some people died in traffic, because they insisted that they were
> right.
> 
> It's pointless. What do you gain?

Ok, let's look at it from another point of view.
So far, I have not seen anyone from Debian seriously claim that there are
legal problems hampering the distribution of kdelibs.

However, kdelibs was deleted from Debian, all copies removed from all
mirrors, and prominent announcements were made about it.

However, after they kinda, each debianite I can find individually, never
explicitly, agreed that removing kdelibs was not really warranted, and
that debian packages for kdelibs exist, and that they have been uploaded
months ago by the maintainer, does Debian take them? NO.

Until Debian does show that the problem was really a legal issue by
accepting the KDE software that does not have legal problems, my code
remains licensed as it is (as little and marginal code as it may be) and
Debian can go home and play with their own collective little friend.

 ("\''/").__..-''"`-. .         Roberto Alsina
 `9_ 9  )   `-. (    ).`-._.`)  ralsina@unl.edu.ar
 (_Y_.)' ._   ) `._`.  " -.-'   Centro de Telematica
  _..`-'_..-_/ /-'_.'           Universidad Nacional del Litoral
(l)-'' ((i).' ((!.'             Santa Fe - Argentina
                                KDE Developer (MFCH)
Not mad, but bound more than a madman is (Romeo and Juliet, Act I Scene II)

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