[Compiler-sig] copyright/license BS (was: P2C stuff)

[Greg Stein]

On Fri, 25 Feb 2000, Mark Hammond wrote:
>...
> >     "Do what you want with it, but please don't try to pass it off as your
> >      own work."
> 
> Geez - I hope you didnt seriously think that anyone here was trying to, or
> had any intention of doing this?  Your email starts with the quote about how
> it is important to retain the copyright.  Just because I didnt "dot every i
> and cross every t" but assumed that the readers are capable of knowing how
> the copyright stuff should work, there is no need to start throwing stuff
> like this around :-(

No... this is saying "do whatever. I don't care." In no way do I believe
anybody *is* trying to claim ownership. I'm simply saying that Jeremy
(and/or whoever) can do what they want. Do whatever. No need to check with
me.

Heck... many of the modules that I've written, I call Public Domain. In
other words: I'm not even asserting a copyright!

The reason why I label stuff public domain? Because I don't want to deal
with mail threads exactly like this one. Copyright this, copyright that.
Did you send a disclaimer? How about a wet signature form? Did you make
sure to label each piece properly? Is that yours, or theirs? Do these
licenses work together? Is one viral? blah fucking blah.

Over the past couple years, it seems that people are overly touchy on the
whole damn licensing/copyright bullshit. I don't like it, if you can't
tell. I wish people would be more cooperative and less worried about this
stuff. Years ago, Mark and I wrote the pythoncom stuff. It never had a
license or even much of a copyright assertion -- it just wasn't a big
deal. Last week, Mark finally applied one because today's environment
demands it. I wrote imputil last year and published it. About six months
ago, I got a query "what's the license on it?" I never had bothered
because I'd rather just write useful code; I replied "public domain".

Regarding P2C: Take my code. Do what you want. Leave some credit in there
for me.

'nuf said,
-g

-- 
Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/