On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 10:10 AM, jan i <j...@apache.org> wrote: > Hi. > > We have a page http://www.openoffice.org/why/why_compliance.html which > seems to be like a red carpet to a number of people. > > There are of course people who do not like the page because they would like > another license to have the headline, they are not my concern (as long as > the page we produce are correct). > > There are also people (myself included) that feel this page can too easily > be misread as expressing the view of ASF and AOO. > > The page has lately been changed and among other a line at the bottom has > been added: > " > > *The Apache Software Foundation does not take a position on, recommend or > advise the use or non-use of any particular software license or family of > licenses."* > Surely that is enough in legal terms indicate that the page is the opinion > of somebody not ASF. But for many they see this as the normal disclaimer > and being on the bottom many do not even read it. > > We as a project cannot and should not speak on behalf of ASF, nor should we > have web pages that causes longer negative discussions (I cannot refer to > the mails on private@ and elsewhere, but only say that lately we talk about > a lot of mails). > > I, as PMC member, do not see the need for a page that causes this kind of > discussions, and would prefer to see it removed....however a statement on > top of the page saying something like: > "This page do not reflect the opinion of ASF or the AOO PMC" > would at least stop the negative discussions. > > > Thoughts? >
What exactly on this page do you think is an opinion and not a fact? Maybe we can focus on the specifics? I'd note also that this is one page of several, each of which the same accusation can be made. For example: "OpenOffice can be freely used and distributed with no license worries." http://www.openoffice.org/why/why_edu.html Certainly this is an opinion, and I don't recall the ASF or the PMC voting on it? Should we remove this page as well? And: "Using Apache OpenOffice demonstrates your commitment to deliver best value services. It is not owned by any commercial organisation. Its open source license means there are no license fees to pay, no expensive annual audits, and no worries about non-compliance with onerous and obscure licensing conditions. You may also distribute the software free to your employees, through the schools system, or any other channel of your choice." http://www.openoffice.org/why/why_gov.html Same idea, claiming that the licence of AOO is an advantage, in this case to government users. And: And "OpenOffice offers a high degree of compatibility with commercial office software, but with none of the costs or license worries." http://www.openoffice.org/why/why_sme.html Same idea there. And http://www.openoffice.org/why/why_odf.html This page claims advantages of using ODF. Certainly this is an opinion, and I don't recall the ASF or the PMC voting on it? Should we remove this page as well? I'm a bit puzzled why we suddenly think that expressing a viewpoint or touting advantages of AOO is unusual or suspect. It should not be odd to remark that the licence *mandatory* for use by Apache projects is in some way preferable to the licence that is *forbidden* for use in all Apache projects. It should not be seen as controversial to note that. So a -1 from be for removing any of these pages. If you want a more prominent disclaimer on *all* of them, then I'm fine with that. Regards, -Rob > rgds > jan I. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org
