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Re: eCos License Overview



Scripsit Andreas Schuldei <andreas@schuldei.org>

> I consider packaging ecos. Please look at the license here:
> http://sources.redhat.com/ecos/license-overview.html

> I think it qualifies as free. But there is some fishy thing that
> changes made to the system must be announced.

It says:

| Any Modification which You create or to which You contribute
| must be made available in Source Code form under the terms of
| this License via an accepted Electronic Distribution Mechanism
| to anyone to whom you made an Executable version available and
| to the Initial Developer;
[...]
| You are responsible for notifying the Initial Developer of the
| Modification and the location of the Source if a contact means
| is provided.

Prior practise on debian-legal has been to consider such clauses
non-free, failing DFSG ##1 and 3 (in that the requirement to
give copies to or even notify the initial author is viewed as
a restriction).

In this case the clause also discriminates against anyone who can
afford giving his neighbour a floppy disk with modified sources
but cannot afford using whatever "accepted Electronic Distribution
Mechanism" the language means.

-- 
Henning Makholm            "Make it loud, make it complicated, make it long,
                   and make it up if you have to, but it'll work all right."



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