[CrackMonkey] Another global networked filesystem

[Paul J Collins]

>>>>> "Rick" == Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> writes:

    Rick> begin  Paul J Collins quotation:

    >> Surely those would be reasons against having the restrictions,
    >> rather than for?  Or am I missing something?

    Rick> I think Seth is saying that Commerce Dept. is trying to
    Rick> limit the loss of its policy control by limiting the
    Rick> exception to a form of distribution (open source) that is
    Rick> unpalateable to most programmers.

You're right.  In my innocence, that view of what they were doing
never occurred to me.

    Rick> Please note that Commerce's definition of "open source" for
    Rick> purposes of this exception is the ideosyncratic one I just
    Rick> quoted, not one that you or I would use.

Most definitely.  Their definition seems to eliminate any form of
commercial software, open source or no.  I had to read it a few times
to work that out.  Next time something like that gets posted, I'll get
my brother to read it for me.

    Rick> [...] by a strict reading, shareware would seem excluded.
    Rick> But you never know for sure until the rule is applied a few
    Rick> times.

Like many parts of the law, you don't really know what applies until
you've let a few judges and lawyers give it a jolly good seeing to.
It's like the difference between a standard and what proved practical
to implement.  Of course, a good standard is written by people who
bear in mind that it will have to be implemented someday.

-- 
Paul Collins <sneakums at eircom.net> - - - - - [ A&P,a&f ]
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