Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software [LWN.net]

Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software

Posted Oct 7, 2004 15:26 UTC (Thu) by socket (subscriber, #43)
Parent article: Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software

I'd just like to ask a question of RedHat:

...it will be between six and twelve months before the code is released. Why such a lengthy process? Day said that Red Hat would use this time to optimize the code for its products, and for a community development process.

This is an interesting use of the phrase "community development process." Am I to take this to mean that the community can contribute somehow to an unreleased codebase? How should I try to understand this?

I'm not saying they shouldn't wait before releasing the code. I'm just trying to understand how a community development process on this project can happen without anyone outside of redhat having access to the code. What kind of process can happen without being able to look at the code?

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Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software

Posted Oct 7, 2004 17:14 UTC (Thu) by evgeny (subscriber, #774) [Link]

I believe the meaning of this sentence is they're optimizing the codebase for _two_ purposes: 1) being compatible with their existing offerings and 2) being ready for community-driven development.

Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software

Posted Oct 7, 2004 18:57 UTC (Thu) by edgewood (subscriber, #1123) [Link]

I agree with evgeny, above, as that's how I interpreted the statement when I originally read it.

Also note that it takes time to go through the code to ensure that there isn't third-party code that they're not licensed to release, and remove and replace it if there is.

And since they've kept their promise before (see Sistina, above), I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here.

Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software

Posted Oct 7, 2004 22:20 UTC (Thu) by smoogen (subscriber, #97) [Link]

I think one of the issues that takes the longest is doing a code check. Finding out that you had a large segment of BSD code that you just tried to relicense as GPL does not earn one friends it would seem ;P

Red Hat acquiring Netscape Enterprise Solutions software

Posted Oct 8, 2004 13:31 UTC (Fri) by edgewood (subscriber, #1123) [Link]

Redistributing BSD licensed code under the GPL could create a PR problem, but it's legally allowable: the BSD license allows redistribution and is compatible with the GPL.

The real problem with open sourcing a previously proprietary codebase is the potential inclusion of third-party proprietary code. If Netscape included some module from Widgets, Inc, under a license that allowed distribution in compiled form only, Redhat would violating the license if they released that code as part of the NES codebase. So they have to comb through the code and the legal archives looking for things like that, and if they find anything, replace it with code they do have the right to redistribute.

Release as free software

Posted Oct 15, 2004 11:14 UTC (Fri) by danielos (guest, #6053) [Link]

Release it as free software is good, but not enough. Probabily the code use closed building tool and give the code away "as is" is not good. They should take it and open a discussion on how to port to free tool chain, but this is not "beautifull" to customers' eyes: "RH buys a software and give away without touch it and without having integrated in their other products" don't make redhat look good. Also it's not good to free software developer eyes who want to work on "OSS compatible" code, that is most will continue to develop OpenLDAP stoling some code from netscape product: this will distrupt the just acquired product ... to the investors eyes is like burn money.