Andrew Suffield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > On Fri, Apr 23, 2004 at 06:22:53AM -0400, Jeremy Hankins wrote:
>> Hrm. I'm still uncomfortable -- if it were intended that the DFSG be >> interpreted that way, why is #6 there at all? > > My considered opinion is that DFSG #5 and #6 are horrible blunders > that don't mean at all what they say. With a little ingenuity, you can > argue that *anything* either is or is not in violation of either or > both of these clauses. I agree with that, actually. But then how do you address the original issue (i.e., why is "if you deploy, distribute source" non-free)? > They're supposed to prohibit this sort of license clause (all real > examples, albeit not with precise wording): > > - This software may not be used in nuclear power plants. > - This software may not be used by the US government. > - This software may only be used for non-commercial purposes. > > And there they stop. Rewriting the DFSG to eliminate this confusion is > fairly high on my todo list. What do you think of the wording I suggested replacing #6 with? Reproduced: ---- 6. No Discrimination Against Types of Use The license must not restrict anyone from using the work for any purpose. For example, it may not restrict the work from being used in a business, from being used for genetic research, or from being used to provide web services. ---- By replacing "field of endeavor" with "use" it's narrower in one sense (anything can be a field of endeavor, but "use" is relatively well defined), but broader in another by talking about all (or at least most) use restrictions. As for #5, I'm not sure what purpose it serves that isn't served just as well by the remaining clauses -- especially with an explicit freedom to use. > [It is approximately valid to say that they're redundant, if you read > the entire DFSG in the lax manner that these two clauses require. But > we can do much better than that.] I don't relish using the reasoning Henning Makholm proposed either. But so far I haven't seen anything to replace it with. -- Jeremy Hankins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> PGP fingerprint: 748F 4D16 538E 75D6 8333 9E10 D212 B5ED 37D0 0A03
