[Mailman-Users] query re "message has implicit destination"(devils advocate!)

[Brad Knowles]

At 10:06 AM -0700 2006-08-31, John W. Baxter quoted "Brad Knowles" 
<brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>:

>>  We're not a commercial environment, and we've actually had pretty bad
>>  experiences with people/companies that are in commercial environments
>>  taking our software and making unapproved modifications to it, or
>>  providing the software to their customers but *not* providing
>>  adequate support to those customers.
>
>  "unapproved" may be a bit strong.  Perhaps "un-vetted" would be closer?

Actually, I think either "unapproved" or "unauthorized" are the most 
appropriate terms.  After all, the code is released under the GPL, 
and anyone who is making modifications to that code and then making 
their modified version available to their customers (or otherwise 
benefiting from those modifications) are supposed to contribute the 
source to their changes back to the community.  But CPanel has not 
done this, neither has Plesk, nor Apple.

Now, in a way, Apple gives back to the project more than they 
probably realize, but that's not the same thing.


So, while we don't make that big a deal of this issue, I think I'm 
actually being reasonably lenient on these companies.

>>  I just recently wrote a FAQ entry on this subject -- see FAQ 1.32.
>
>  Quite nicely done!

Thanks!

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

  Founding Individual Sponsor of LOPSA.  See <http://www.lopsa.org/>.