Hans Reiser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Burnes, James wrote: > >>Is there any way to do an MD5 of either (1) each module in a software >>subsystem or (2) each software version and then have a central registry >>where interested developers and users can go to see the credits? >> > Credits that users must take action to see are not effective > credits. No one will look at them.
So, then, you're trying to use your market leverage to ensure that these messages are seen? It seems that this is the basis of your experiment. Perhaps a way which would satisfy your imperative to credit your contributors and satisfy Debian's self-imposed restrictions would be to separately license various parts of the system. For example, freely distribute the reiserfs kernel modifications under the same GPL as the rest of the kernel. Distribute non-interactive command-line tools similarly. For interactive tools, use something which Debian won't consider a Free license -- the GNU GPLv2, with a clarification that you consider the "appropriate notice" of section 2c to include all these credits at this level of prominence. You get your advertising for your contributors. Debian gets free code. The users enable non-free and have interactive tools, and see advertisements. The zealots who don't enable non-free will use the grungy non-interactive tools, and see the credits reprinted in the documentation. Does this actually meet your needs? -Brian -- Brian Sniffen [EMAIL PROTECTED]
