Re: password protect a directory?
%% Brian May <bam@debian.org> writes:
bm> which restricts what you are allowed to modify...
Indeed. As I said, no one is claiming it's DFSG-compliant.
However, you _can_ modify almost all the code. That is, you can fix
bugs, add new features, etc. You just can't change that one area.
Paul> The second caveat is the interesting one. BitKeeper has a
Paul> "logging" function that logs all source changes (that is,
Paul> the change comments, # of lines changed, filename, etc. Not
Paul> the diffs themselves, as I understand it). The free copy of
Paul> BitKeeper sends these logs to an "open logging server",
Paul> which is maintained by the BitKeeper folks. They are free
Paul> to publish these logs (and they are doing so). The other
Paul> thing you cannot do is modify or interfere in any way with
Paul> this logging capability.
bm> but I assume you could modify your computer's network setup so that
bm> logs come back to your computer?
I don't believe so. I think that if the open logging is thwarted in any
way (even if you don't change the source; say by filtering or
firewalling), then you're not allowed to use the open-source version.
If you're curious, you should ask them.
Paul> One interesting thing: the BitKeeper license says it reverts
Paul> to being GPL if the open logging servers are ever down for
Paul> more than 180 consecutive days (presumably the company goes
Paul> out of business and shuts down...)
bm> What happens if the logging server is not contact-able for any
bm> reason? ie. operation from a laptop without any network
bm> connection. Will it still work?
Your placement of this question leaves me unclear as to what you're
asking: the "180 day reversion" thing only takes effect if the open
logging servers are not online for 181 consecutive days. It doesn't
matter if they are running but you can't reach them :).
If you're wondering if/how you can work offline, then I don't know the
answer to that. You should check with the BitKeeper folks.
It's obviously not the perfect license. However, there's absolutely no
doubt that BitKeeper is a significantly better SCM tool than CVS in
every other respect.
--
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Paul D. Smith <psmith@baynetworks.com> HASMAT--HA Software Methods & Tools
"Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
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These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.
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