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Other stuff from the board meeting...
Other stuff from the board meeting...
Posted Mar 18, 2008 3:00 UTC (Tue) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330)In reply to: Other stuff from the board meeting... by tialaramex
Parent article: Fedora 9 to remove pointers to proprietary codecs
Fedora could fix this by just including on the DVD the required written offer for how to get the source. It could give two options:
Option 1: download the source from a server.
Option 2: instructions for mail-ordering a source CD or DVD. For example, it could require that the orderer include a self-addressed mailer with proper postage, together with money to cover the expense of the blank medium and a small amount for the person's time spent burning the disk and getting it in the mail.
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Other stuff from the board meeting...
Posted Mar 18, 2008 4:27 UTC (Tue) by mdomsch (subscriber, #5920) [Link]
JoeBuck: GPLv2 doesn't allow you to satisfy 3b) by placing the code on a server if you've put binaries on physical media, or so the FSF individuals we've spoken with claim. (GPLv3 does address this point). The bigger problem, which even GPLv3 doesn't address, is that each "distribution" - someone handing out a CD to someone else, if done on behalf of the Fedora Project (we can get into legal discussions of if someone is an "Agent" of the Fedora Project or not, or if that matters here) resets the 3b) 3-year clock. We don't know when the last time such are handed out, so we don't know when we can end the offer. We were hoping we could say "Fedora will hand out these DVDs only for 14 months, so 4 years 2 months from now we aren't required to still hand out DVDs with source", but our legal guidance says we can't do that. So our 3b) responsibilities would continue effectively indefinitely. Ensuring that 4+ years down the line someone will exist to burn 4+ year old SRPMS on request without error isn't something we are comfortable guaranteeing. The advice to our Ambassadors is to encourage individuals interested in getting the source to get it from one of the download servers. If they insist on getting it on media, then the Ambassadors should have a DVD burner and blank media on hand. If a lot of people ask for source in this fashion, we would have to consider pressing media with SRPMS to send to shows, which gets quite expensive, and in general is a waste of money. -Matt Domsch, on behalf of the Fedora Project Board
Other stuff from the board meeting...
Posted Mar 18, 2008 5:32 UTC (Tue) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]
You misunderstood what I wrote. I suggested including two options: one to tell people how to download the software, the other to send a stamped, self-addressed envelope and get the source. This satisfies the legal requirement. The option to do the download is intended to reduce the burden, since most people would use the least-hassle method.
Other stuff from the board meeting...
Posted Mar 18, 2008 11:46 UTC (Tue) by mdomsch (subscriber, #5920) [Link]
I understand, the "send a SASE" reduces the need to have a stack of pressed media to mail. It does not reduce the indeterminate end-time of the 3b) clock, meaning we would have to ensure that if someone does send a SASE several years from now (again, could be 4+ years, we don't know and can't set an "end date" on the offer), that someone would exist to receive that SASE, burn the media, and mail it back, without failure to do so or error on their part. We prefer to be done with our legal obligation at the time of distribution, rather than carry the additional obligation for an indefinite time into the future.
Other stuff from the board meeting...
Posted Mar 18, 2008 12:39 UTC (Tue) by emk (subscriber, #1128) [Link]
With a little bit of pre-planning, couldn't you make this process fairly fool-proof? Specifically: 1) Decide to only distribute binary CDs/DVDs of actual Fedora and Enterprise releases, not (say) alpha and beta builds. 2) Generate *.iso files for the corresponding source CDs/DVDs up front. 3) Store the *.iso files on high-reliability storage (a properly backed-up RAID server or something). When somebody asks for source code, just grab and burn the appropriate *.iso. Realistically, this would cost a week of engineering time to set up, and a few hundred dollars a year in RAID drives and server administration. GPL 3b is pretty obnoxious in this day-and-age, but it's not that huge a hassle for anybody with good long-term data storage.
Other stuff from the board meeting...
Posted Mar 18, 2008 14:43 UTC (Tue) by tialaramex (subscriber, #21167) [Link]
Thanks for the further explanation, it was enlightening.