try and address license concerns with LICENSE.md

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Bryan Stansell 2020-05-25 14:53:00 -07:00
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INSTALL
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@ -256,17 +256,6 @@ Detailed Instructions
Other Information And Gotchas
- Debian Linux Distribution
The Debian folks have conserver distributed with the package
names of conserver-client and conserver-server. They are in
the distribution "sid" and the "non-free" part (because the
Ohio State license doesn't explicitly allow for modification to
the code, even though it's totally implied and the intention of
the author - I've even got proof in email! Oh well, can't
blame the Debian folks for being cautious - they've been burned
before, apparently).
- Potential GCC bug
Adam Morris <AMorris@providence.org> reported a problem with

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LICENSE.md Normal file
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@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
License Concerns
================
The licenses attached to this software ([LICENSES](LICENSES)) are supposed
to paint a simple concept: that this software was built for the open source
community and they result in a license compatible with [LICENSE](LICENSE).
Unfortunately, the real world steps in and troubles can arise. This note
has been moved over from the [INSTALL](INSTALL) file:
The Debian folks have conserver distributed with the package
names of conserver-client and conserver-server. They are in
the distribution "sid" and the "non-free" part (because the
Ohio State license doesn't explicitly allow for modification to
the code, even though it's totally implied and the intention of
the author - I've even got proof in email! Oh well, can't
blame the Debian folks for being cautious - they've been burned
before, apparently).
Here's a copy of the message I exchanged with Thomas A. Fine (original
author at OSU) in 2001 that is referenced above:
> Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 19:47:18 -0400 (EDT)
> To: bryan@conserver.com
> From: "Thomas A. Fine" <fine@head-cfa.harvard.edu>
> Subject: Re: A conserver license question...
>
> > Hi Tom,
> >
> > I had a little "problem" crop up that I was hoping you could help me
> > with. A guy out in net-land is trying to put a debian package together
> > of the code I've been releasing (based on your original work) and they
> > don't like part of the Ohio State license. I've attached the message
> > below.
> >
> > I'm not sure what can be done. One thought was a message from you that
> > I could put with the code stating that modifications are ok would
> > work. Or maybe just modifying the original license statement. Heck, I
> > don't even know if either are 100% legal. Maybe I need to talk to
> > someone at Ohio State.
> >
> > Well, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. Don't
> > know if I ever got a chance to thank you for the great stuff you
> > started! Thank you! ;-)
>
> Well, if I knew then what I know now, I would have copyrighted it
> under my own name, and not under OSU, and then I could change it.
> Since I don't work there anymore, strictly speaking, I can't change
> it.
>
> However, IMHO, this license allows modifications, without explicitly
> stating it. I can state without a doubt that this was my intention
> at the time (and hence, OSU's intention, since I put in the copyright
> while working for OSU).
>
> But also, since it allows use of the source, and since the statement
> required for inclusion says "includes software ..." it seems pretty
> clear that modification was both allowed and expected. You can't
> really use sources if you aren't changing them, and you certainly
> can't include this software in some other product without making
> modifications.
>
> As I recall, I more or less used the copyright that Berkeley was using
> back then for there BSD-related software, so I'm surprised there's a
> problem with it.
>
> I have to point out that version 1.2, available at
> http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~fine/Tech/cs1.2/
> is distributed entirely without copyright notices. Interesting, no?
> So I guess I could add a copyright notice to that. But would I then
> be violating the OSU copyright that I wrote for 1.1? Since it is
> a different version, I could probably write a new copyright notice
> and license and be free and clear.
>
> There's also Purdue's versions of the software. It's mentioned on my
> console server web page at
> http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~fine/Tech/console-server.html
>
> So, pass this on to the people you're working with and let me know how
> you want to proceed.
>
> tom
Hopefully corporations (or, I suppose, their lawyers) will be happy with the
explanation above and become comfortable with the stated license.