[IronPython] Ironpython 0.7 released!

[Paolo Molaro]

On 03/24/05 Jim Hugunin wrote:
> Are there any problems that you have with the terms of the IronPython
> license, or is it just the lack of the OSI stamp?  I think the terms of

I think it is unfortunate to call the license "Shared Source License
for IronPython". Everyone (and with good reason) considers any
"Shared Source" labelled license a crappy^Wnon free license like Rotor's.
Releasing such different licenses under the same name is misleading
and will do only damage to the IronPython project.

> the license are both clear and quite open.  If it's just a matter of the
> OSI stamp, I'm not going to be much help there.  You should give this

The license looks like a free software license at first sight, though 
more people should look at it and give legal advice, of course. I think
point 2 should be clarified:
	2.  That if you distribute the Software in source code form you do so only under
	this license (i.e. you must include a complete copy of this license with your
	distribution), and if you distribute the Software solely in object form
	you only do so under a license that complies with this license. 
It seems to mean that modified sources must be dirstributed only with
this license and not any license that complies with it, while the binary
can be distributed with a compatible license. It's fine (though likely redundant)
to require that the license should not be changed and included in the sources.
It should just make it clear that distributing modified sources with a compatible
license for the changes is ok.

> IronPython is going to be run as a very transparent and interactive
> project.  I expect to have lots of active discussions with our user

I suggest you use this mailing list as the primary communication channel
(besides being very slow, the gotdotnet forum requires .NET passport).

> process online.  In our first day of release we've already had 6 bugs
> filed in the bug database and 5 of them are now marked fixed.  To really

It's unfortunate the bug tracker requires .NET passport (even to only
view the filed bugreports).

> close this loop we also need to make very frequent releases - at a
> minimum every 2 weeks and ideally more often.

My suggestion is to have a publicly accessible cvs or svn server
as well, so people can test the changes in a more timely manner
(and reduce your "make a release" pressure which is going to take away
from your hacking time).

> That said, we're not going to be accepting any external code
> contributions to the core engine at this time.  One reason not to do

Well, this doesn't sound like good news. People are earger to contribute
(and part of a benevolent dictator's job is to make others work for him;-).

> where the code should be going.  Based on my experience with both
> AspectJ and Jython I'm rather confident that at this stage of the
> project external code contributions would slow things down rather than

Well, you're not forced to apply all the patches that are contributed:-)

> overall design and implementation of a system.  The only weakness of
> this system is that you have to trust that this dictator will remain
> both actively working on the project and benevolent.  I could write a
> lot of text asking you to trust me that this project will be run that
> way; however, I prefer to convince people by actions rather than words.

We're certainly interested in IronPython be a good project
for everyone, you, the MS and Mono programmer communities, the python users.
I hope this time your work at MS will allow you to communicate
with the community more and better than what happened since
the 0.6 release.

> base to grow and maintain.  Good projects should always be responsive to
> their community of users, and the ability to fork is one way to make
> sure this happens.

Indeed, Everyone hopes that won't happen, but it's good to have the choice.
Happy hacking!

lupus

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