The problem is clarity [LWN.net]

The problem is clarity

Posted May 23, 2005 11:02 UTC (Mon) by hansl (subscriber, #5086)
In reply to: The problem is clarity by paulj
Parent article: Sun Seizes Tarantella (IT-Director)

> The major differences with the GPL are that CDDL does not
> try to extend its reach beyond *files* containing CDDLed code

So people only have to make sure their changes are in separate
in files and they don't have show them to me (when distributing
the aggregate work).

That's not the reciprocal "you get to use my changes, so I get
to use your changes" deal that the GPL establishes, which is
exactly why it becomes interesting for me to contribute.

-Hans

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The problem is clarity

Posted May 23, 2005 11:39 UTC (Mon) by paulj (subscriber, #341) [Link]

Well, why not read the CDDL instead of getting a second-hand opinion from some random, non-lawyer, LWN reader like me? (this is precisely my problem with so much of the opinion bandied around on the CDDL - everyone is happy to form it based on hearsay. :) ).

You can't simply make changes and stuff them in a new file. Modifications to CDDL'd code must still be distributed under the CDDL, whether in a new file or not. The definition of modifications is:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
1.9. “Modifications” means the Source Code and Executable form of any of the following:

A. Any file that results from an addition to, deletion from or modification of the contents of a file containing Original Software or previous Modifications;

B. Any new file that contains any part of the Original Software or previous Modification; or

C. Any new file that is contributed or otherwise made available under the terms of this License.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Such modifications would *still* be required to be licenced under the CDDL.

In that context, reread this sentence fragment of mine:

> The major differences with the GPL are that CDDL does not
> try to extend its reach beyond *files* containing CDDLed code

Clearer?

Note that the definition of "modification of the contents of a file" *possibly* is very similar to how the GPL relies on the definition of "derived work" for its coverage. But I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know. (I'd be curious as to the answer). The scope of how the CDDL frames it is possibly narrower than that of the GPL, I'm not sure (modifications to contents versus 'derived work') however I suspect in practice the respective scope wouldn't be /too/ far apart.

Reading the CDDL would also be a useful exercise, particularly if one wishes to argue it's demerits :). It's at:

http://www.sun.com/cddl/cddl.html

regards,

--paulj

The problem is clarity

Posted May 23, 2005 12:53 UTC (Mon) by hansl (subscriber, #5086) [Link]

> Well, why not read the CDDL instead of getting a second-hand
> opinion from some random, non-lawyer, LWN reader like me?

OK, I actually started reading the license but I'm afraid
I am not skilled enough to understand how exactly it allows
you to not reveal your own changes. But I think I do understand
these words from your boss Jonathan Swartz, explaining the CDDL:

> Under the CDDL, you are free to choose what to reveal, what to
> withhold, and how to price your products. The CDDL encourages
> self-determination by giving developers the basic building blocks
> of the entire OpenSolaris operating system without any obligation
> to disgorge their private property or predetermine its price. You
> can withhold from Sun, from the OpenSolaris community, from the
> world, anything you build. Or you can choose to share. It's entirely
> your call.

http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/jonathan/20050417#the_sp...

-Hans