[Mono-list] Dot_GNU PR Folks on Slashdot

[Juli Mallett]

* De: Joe Mozelesky <jmozelesky@netcarrier.com> [ Data: 2002-11-24 ]
	[ Subjecte: RE: [Mono-list] Dot_GNU  PR Folks on Slashdot ]
> Weiqi Gao wrote:
> 
> >I would start to worry if the free version of the project show signs of
> >abandonment.  But then again, a truly useful and intrinsically
> >sustainable open source project will live on even after the original
> >contributers leave the project.
> >
> >Ximian licensing their portion of the Mono code with a different
> license
> >doesn't worry me a bit.
> 
> I don't think the licensing part is really an issue, I think the issue
> is that Ximian cannot dictate a non-compete arrangement to a
> non-employee who is an open source contributor.  They do not 'own' the
> entire project in its entirety.  They have no right to tell a
> contributor they cannot be involved because they contribute to another
> project.

[With my FreeBSD and Mono-Hacker hats on]

If you're a developer in the open source world, something you see a lot
is a project which gets so big it has internal management, to keep things
in line, and to keep Bad Things(tm) from happening.  If you're a developer
in the open source world, working on something meaningful, something you
see a lot is where Company Zed has taken a serious interest in the Project,
and wants to be able to help out, but also doesn't want a bunch of people
from projects they don't (and won't) give a damn about harassing them for
the same sort of attention.  So the internal management of the project
says something like "Hey, we thought you developers would like to know
this, but Company Zed really doesn't want it to be public knowledge until
after the work is done, so keep it under your hat," and if you pull it
from under your hat and feverishly share it with some third-party project
or, god forbid, Slashdot, then most likely the internal management will
see that you're off the mailing lists, and possibly no longer associated
with the project.  Most people, when given the chance, don't let it out
from under their hat.  You also see times where it's something like, "Hey,
Company Zot just deployed the Project in all of their Foobars, and is
further developing it for their 7.0 version, and not only are they going
to be pushing versions of the Project into everyone's hands, but they're
also going to explicitly push that they're using _our stuff_!"  And it's
made clear that Company Zot isn't ready to announce this.  And the same
"hat" rule applies.  And there's a lot of similar situations, and if there's
trust adequate, and there should really be, then you can be involved in
multiple "competitors" of one another, and see all the juicy email, and
because you'll honour that trust, you don't make trouble for anyone.

[With my Mono-Hackers hat firmly off]

With Mono-Hackers, I imagine it's something like "Ximian is looking out
for us, and providing all these services, and they thought the Mono-Hackers
would like to know that Zed & Zot Enterprises wants to embed Mono into
Foobars in the next major revision, as part of a partnership with Ximian,
and we're going to be funneling development skills back and forth, and
we like you guys, and know you work hard for Mono, and thought you'd like
to know that it's going to such cool use, and if you want to help them
out, we'd encourage you to."  So if there's some concern from Ximian, I
can easily imagine that the Mono-Hackers list membership may go down,
if it seems like someone may be passing on that sort of information, or
maybe helping DotGNU or trying to get Z&Z to use DotGNU instead.

[With my top-hat and my white hat and my tails]

Stepping out with my baby,
juli.
-- 
Juli Mallett <jmallett@FreeBSD.org>
OpenDarwin, Mono, FreeBSD Developer.
ircd-hybrid Developer, EFnet addict.
FreeBSD on MIPS-Anything on FreeBSD.