Martin G. wrote: >>> you are required to release it under the GPL since you copied source code >>> from Sword (e.g. rawverse.cpp) and mention crosswire as the copyright holder >>> of that code.
Lynn wrote: > > I am not clear what it means to "mention crosswire as the copyright > > holder". I would appreciate clarification. What rights, if any, do I > > retain? What rights, if any, do I forfeit? > David wrote: > Technically you keep all rights. The only rights you lose by making your > software GPL are the ability to prevent other people from modifying your work > with making those changes GPL and the ability to not make that source code > available. If you decide you don't want the project to be GPL anymore you > must take any and all code that you don't have copyright on (which is only > the stuff you write unless you have people give you copyright to their stuff > or you have permission) and you can then change the license. This does not > however change the GPL status of the previous code. Hi David and Martin, Thanks for the helpful comments. However, I'm still unclear on what it means to "mention crosswire as the copyright holder". I looked over the GNU GPL guidelines on actually using GPL and am still less than 100% sure how to proceed. Sorry. http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-howto.html Using the LcdBible software as a concrete example, I'm proceeding with these assumptions, and would appreciate clarification that points out "the error of my ways." * First, IANAL and apparently I'm also not very alert. Sorry to keep asking these questions. I never claimed to be "the brightest bulb in the box." * Please note that I am not that interested in maximizing what I can claim copyright on or avoiding responsibility for my cruddy code. I'm asking these questions mostly to get concrete answers to murky questions. I speculate that others on sword-devel have similar questions and this may serve to illuminate. * I infer that the above guidance to "mention crosswire as the copyright holder" does NOT mean that The CrossWire Bible Society is the copyright holder of the entire LcdBible software source code. * I am ethically and/or legally obligated to specifically reference those parts of the LcdBible software that are directly or indirectly from The SWORD Project. Obviously parts of LcdBible are derived from sword software. Some parts are not. * From my reading of the GPL FAQ, it isn't absolutely necessary to fastidiously give credit to "prior art", but this practice seems to be a "should" and obviously recommended. I intend to be "fastidious" about this, but I'm not 100% clear how to be fastidious. * I can claim and retain copyright of those parts of LcdBible which I "invented." For copyright, I do not need to do much searching, if any, to see if another person has prior art and whether I am unknowingly infringing on their copyright. It may well be the case that some 1988 DOS code unrelated to Bible study previously used very similar logic to LcdBible, and I am violating their copyright unintentionally. So be it. * I am certainly OK with sharing 110% of the profits I realize from LcdBible :-). I have negative 110% interest in having legal expenses to defend against some 1988 DOS code I didn't know about. I would very much appreciate input as to whether this is a legitimate concern. My impression is that at worst, I may hear from "VerseMonger" threatening legal action, to which I can comply, fight, or turn over to Sword maintainers for "biting back". Sigh. * It becomes "murky" in the case of CanonVersifier logic, which is clearly derived from VerseKey, but with radical simplifications. My understanding is that the source code files for CanonVersifier.h, CanonVersifier.cpp, and CanonVersifier.inl should specifically mention the current copyright holder, and then I am allowed and encouraged to claim copyright for the revisions. * My understanding is that I *could* neglect to recognize VerseKey prior art and make a solo copyright claim on the CanonVersifier files. I consider that this would be unethical and certainly not promote community fellowship. <alert -- please ignore following rant, apology, and request for forgiveness ... unless you are interested in this newbie scribbler's opinion> * At times some of us, myself included, may lose sight of this very important, if not fundamental purpose of The CrossWire Society: we are to take joy in doing what we can to build a community of believers who astonish non-believers by the love we share among us. We are not doing this to just pump out code, I hope. Edify-The-Saints! * I have been, frankly, appalled by the language and tone used in some of the public sword-devel eMails, especially regarding GPL. Several of the private eMails were harsher and more abrasive. I apologize to the entire sword-devel community for my major responsibility that this had happened in the course of these GPL threads which I instigated (and am continuing). I claim that my motives, although at least partially fallen, were sincere to clear up murkiness on my part and probably others. * I further apologize that many of my initial eMails to sword-devel became sarcastic pestering. Several of the "servant-leaders" of The CrossWire Society have graciously pointed out "the error of my ways." I hope the last several weeks of my posts have demonstrated some level of repentance with regard to the language and tone of this scribbler's eMails. * I sincerely request your forgiveness. In separate private eMails, I have also apologized and requested forgiveness from several Sword maintainers. I feel the magnitude of my errors (past and continuing) indicate that a blanket apology to sword-devel is inadequate. * It has been very tempting to take repeated advice/hints from several Sword maintainers to "go away and never come back." For better or worse, I have felt God's leading to try to make up for the continuing errors on my part and attempt to contribute something concrete. You are certainly welcome to add to the chorus of "Scribbler. You.Are.A.Troubler.Of.The.SWORD.Project.Go.Away" * It has been conveyed to me several times by Sword maintainers that the unofficial policy of The CrossWire Bible Society is that newbies such as myself are considered "worthless until proven useful", and, so far, I have not been very useful. Mea culpa. <alert over, all clear> * Back to biz: unless someone clarifies the situation and advises otherwise, I will not augment the existing VerseKey copyright by claiming copyright on CanonVersifier logic. The current copyright holder on VerseKey will be retained for CanonVersifier files. * However, I wonder if similar thinking applies to RemoveMostTagsAndExtraWhiteSpace code (RMTAEWS), as a further example. It is a reverse engineering of The SWORD Project's FilterManager, but more of a "white room" effort. I never could figure out the logic involved and it is vast overkill (as well as possibly incomplete) for the simplistic needs of LcdBible. Also, it results in a large amount of dependent object code being linked, so the resulting executable would be far greater than the current 32kb LcdBible.exe. For these reason, I wrote RMTAEWS to accomplish 99%+ of what FilterManager did. Seems like I can claim solo copyright on this logic. * In this case of RMTAEWS, I am unclear what is appropriate. On the one hand, I'm not that interested in the "glory and fame" of copyright, so I'm inclined to assign the copyright to whoever has copyright on the FilterManager. (Or possibly to my Savior? Col 3:23?) * On the other hand, RMTAEWS is hardly a work of art. There are clearly some "hold your nose" shortcuts employed to fit the functional equivalent of FilterManager's nearly 270kb source code (perhaps ~3000 LOC) into about 85 lines of code. It's not clear if the author of the very comprehensive FilterManager would want to be associated with RMTAEWS. Is is acceptable to simply use Copyright: The CrossWire Bible Society? <alert -- following scribbles have some comments that could be taken as sarcasm -- please ignore if this offends you> * Oddly, it added to my confusion to look over the existing source code now in The SWORD Project. I felt that, surely, I can find some clarification in how copyright is currently handled. * I realize that for GPL purposes, a single LICENSE in the top directory suffices. However, I did expect to find sterling examples of copyright throughout the source code to provide guidance. * Handling of copyright seems inconsistent within the hundreds of .cpp source code files I looked at. * Actually there is consistency of a sort, in that most have no mention at all of anything related to copyright, whether GPL or otherwise. Most code has simply little or no comments at all, much less anything to do with copyright. At first this surprised me, but then He reminded me that we are all fallen humans. Do as I say, not how I do? * For the minority of .cpp programs that mentioned copyright, the norm was something on the order of: - Copyright 1998 CrossWire Bible Society - CrossWire Bible Society - P. O. Box 2528 - Tempe, AZ 85280-2528 * A minority of the .cpp files related to console apps and gui front-ends did have personal copyrights to the actual author(s). * I will followup with Joe Walker. I am interested in JSword practice and whether if differs from The SWORD Project. * Rather than complain and criticize, with this eMail, I offer to go through CVS code and add appropriate copyright information where it is missing. I hesitate to change copyright notices that might seem, to this scribbler, to be inappropriate, however. * If this offer is accepted by Sword maintainers and determined to be higher priority that other "tasks on my plate", I would appreciate guidance on what is appropriate as far as a copyright notice. <alert over -- all clear> * Again, I would note that I am not that interested in maximizing what I can claim copyright on or avoiding responsibility for my cruddy code. I'm asking these questions mostly to get concrete answers to murky questions. I speculate that others on sword-devel have similar questions and this may serve to illuminate. TIA for your feedback. Sharing the reason for the season, http://learningcards.eeworks.org/EeCard01.html Lynn A. [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ sword-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.crosswire.org/mailman/listinfo/sword-devel
