license

[Bengt Richter]

On Tue, 21 Jan 2003 08:34:42 -0500, "Arthur" <ajs at ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>>BTW, the package is apparently VPython, based on the conversation on
>>edu-sig. It seems to me that making an advisory along with the patch >would
>be a much more appropriate behavior.
>
>Yes, as I said on edu-sig, I understand that is my only reasonable option.
>But its a bigger job than the 4 key strokes, in my hands.  Because in my
>hands I will attempt to make it fully comply with sound practice for the
>distribution of a Python 3rd party module.  The overwrite problem issue I
>focus on is the one that makes the contribution unlivable.  There are a many
>other issues that make it a bad non-compliant distribution.
Is it free? Is it better than nothing? Are you getting what you paid for?

I am sympathetic to anyone whose computer setup gets trashed without warning,
(to the point of ranting, as you might have noticed in a previous post ;-)
but I am now getting the feeling there's another issue dominating your situation.

I.e., it seems you think someone else ought to be different
than the way they are in your eyes ;-)

>
>A community of people working reasonably cooperatively in an effort toward
>exploring the potential of Python in education was one of the things I
>thought and hoped CP4E would be about.
I haven't followed that, but that's what I would expect from Python types.

>
>But as I say repeated on edu-sig, I have come to understand myself to be in
>fact a fish quite out of water in this world of free software and whatever
>it is the "community" in the Python community represents.
A lot of give and take ;-)

>
>Expressing the wish, out loud, that someone else who is taking advantage of
How do you mean, "taking advantage?"

>the community's productivity might act a bit more reasonably and less
The free software community's productivity is there to be taken advantage of.
That's a key thing. It multiplies wealth indiscriminately and infinitely.
One digital pot-luck dish feeds the world! Taking seconds starves no one!
And a few participating cooks are top chefs ;-)

>selfishly as a community member is seen by (at least some) of the community
Selfish is usually denying others in preference to self. Who is being denied what?

>as an assault on the community.  That wish and hope is an assault?
Who said assault?

>
>Its too complex for my simple mind.
>
>My continuing alienation from the community, frankly, is one of the things
>that makes me resent having to take on the project of bringing the VPython
>project into compliance with what are, I think, very reasonable community
>expectations as to how a 3rd party module should install and behave.
What compels you to take that on? Are you under contract?

You refer to "community expectations." Have you done a poll to see what
expectations actually are? A consensus would likely have influence that your
opinion alone might not ;-)

>
>Super ironic, too me, that the reaction should be "shut up,and  kill a few
>more weekends for the good of the cause".
>
>Of course, the other solution is to overwrite his help file with my help
>file.  That would indeed be 4 keystrokes.  And than I could be the guy
>sitting on ten thousand lines of code, driving my toy.
>
Perhaps you could rename his stuff and link to it from yours, with an explanation
of how to restore the other if your user prefers ;-)

>Unfortunately, thats not who I am.
>
Its unfortunate to think who you are is unfortunate ;-)

>And please.
>
>What advisory do you have in mind.
Change what is within your power to change, and don't wear yourself down
worrying about the rest ;-)

Regards,
Bengt Richter