Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!jade!eris!mwm From: mwm@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike (Don't have strength to leave) Meyer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Tiny clock program (my own rewrite) Message-ID: <1936@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Mon, 15-Dec-86 04:20:46 EST Article-I.D.: jade.1936 Posted: Mon Dec 15 04:20:46 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Dec-86 05:29:56 EST References: <6914@decwrl.DEC.COM> Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: mwm@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike (Don't have strength to leave) Meyer) Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica Lines: 82 In article <6914@decwrl.DEC.COM> wecker@cookie.dec.com (DAVE CUM GRANO SALIS WECKER) writes: >I thought people might like this... it is a repost of Mike Meyer's clock >program with the following goodies: I don't like it - in fact, I'm royally P.O.'d about it. Dave, in one posting, you've managed to: 1) Break the law. 2) Put *false* words in my mouth, and in so doing 3) Misrepresent my position on PD software. 4) Place my code in the public domain, when I hadn't done so. Let me quote from the initial comment of *MY* version of that program: /* * clock - a dumb, digital clock in the upper right-hand corner. Designed * to be small, not flexible! * * Copyright (c) 1986, Mike Meyer * * Permission is hereby granted to distribute this program for any purposes * whatsoever, so long as this notice, including the above copyright, is * included with the distribution. Unlike other people, I don't care if you * make money off of this, so long as I get credit for having written it. */ Now, let's see what's left of this in the version Dave posted: >/* clock - a dumb, digital clock in its own window > * > * original: Mike Meyer - public domain, not for sale > * v1.1: Dave Wecker - under Manx, auto change of timings, no printf > * > */ Firstly, my copyright notice has disappeared. Since permission to redistribute was granted ON THE CONDITION that it not disappear, you've broken the law. I'll concede that this is a shaky copyright notice, but that's not a good reason for doing what you did. Second, the words "public domain" and "not for resale" are incompatable. If something is not for resale, it can't be in the public domain. Likewise, if it's in the public domain, anyone can do whatever they wish with it, including compile it and sell the binaries as their own. Third, I specifically said that I don't care if other people resell the thing. You attached the "not for sale" to my name, implying that I said it. I would never say any such thing, as 1) it's not legally possible to do that, and 2) I disagree with the sentiments expressed. Finally, since you left off the copyright notice, failed to add your own, and distributed the code on a public network, you've placed it in the public domain. Thus anyone who wants to can legally compile it and sell the binaries, without every mentioning my name - or yours, for that matter. You obviously did a significant (compared to the work I originally put into it) amount of work on the code (you also left a construct in it that's illegal under ANSI C). There's a way to indicate this, and have your wish that it not be resold indicated, that is both legally and morally correct. Namely, you add your own copyright line, and then say "May not be sold, or included as part of any package which is sold." or words to that affect. We'd both hold copyright on the resulting program, and anyone who wished to do something with it under conditions other than those in the copyright notice would have to get in touch with both of us. Dave, this action is, as far as I'm concerned, indistinguishable from that of people who sell code that's marked "public domain, not for sale." True, you haven't made any money; but they haven't broken the law. The important thing in both cases is that you've violated the express wishes of the authors of the code. It's that kind of thing that makes people stop making programs publicly available. Dave, if you got a copy of the program from someone else who had stripped my copyright notice off, I apologize. I'm still P.O.'d, but don't know who did it. In that case, I'd appreciate help in finding the culprit, so I can properly vent my wrath at them.