Posted By SteveC on 08/14/2008 3:03 PM
Charles
Not quite correct, admittedly this is from JMRI's point of view, however I think you'll find it fairly accurate. The link will place you at the last update, if you scroll up the whole story and its time line is there. And you being a software developer would understand the larger implications to Open Source I would think.
JMRI Defence: Our Story So Far
Being a software developer, I really do not like (or fully understand, maybe) the Open Source movement. I have written programs and freely given them away (You want an alarm clock on your computer? How about a way to print the list of files in a folder/directory?)... but not the source code. You can have the "executable program" but not the program code that a compiler used to create that executable version of the program; that "code" belongs to me. Sure, I'll SELL it to you, but just like I can sell you a book, you cannot incorporate MY code into your product. If you want to incorporate my code in your product, I will RENT you the rights to do that, too, with certain caveats and conditions. You want to write your own code to do the same thing that my program will do for free? Go ahead, maybe you'll do better than my code. If I discover and can prove you incorporated MY code in YOUR program I will sue you for Copyright infringement. If your program is exactly like mine and you can sell it... stupid consumer, they could have had it for free from me.
Assume software is a hamburger... I cook them and give them away. I give one to William Goat. Billy Goat then sell it to someone else. Stupid "someone else"... I would have given them one for free, untouched by this second party's possibly contaminated hooves.
Now if Billy takes my burger with catsup and pickles as I provided it, and scrapes the pickles off and adds mustard and onions, that is no longer "MY" hamburger and I don't want any association with it... Billy could have had salmonella contaminated onions and who knows what is in that mustard... it is no longer MY hamburger and I will NOT accept blame for someone eating it. But again, stupid consumer for not getting a good, FREE one, from me. If they'd a asked, I might have incorporated the different condiments for free (or not, depending on how expensive it is to me, how hard it is to do or how offensive it is to me to do it to a burger).
Now back to software... Suppose I write a Microsoft Excel look-a-like program and give the source code to anybody that wants it. Mr. Goat modifies it and tacks his name to the list of programmers. What'd he do to MY code? Change the names of the variables in the code to those of his kids instead of something descriptive like I had them? Or did he actually enhance the code by adding functionality or fix bugs? Did he screwup the next iteration I had in mind for the code by altering the structure?
Assume Mr. Jack Ass also got the code and also made changes to it, with the same unknowns as to the veracity/security/intelligence of the code. Now we have at least 3 versions of the program floating about. How compatible are they? Can a change made to one of them be incorporated into the others without inducing bugs and other incompatibilities?
Now a bunch of folk get together to consolidate the versions and attempt to prove out the veracity/security/intelligence of the code... it is called the "Open Source" committee. Pretty good idea, actually. All software needs a full review by folk that KNOW what they are doing!
But do you know what an elephant is?
It is a horse designed by a committee!
I have worked with hundreds of programmers...
Some were absolutely brilliant (I am truly humbled by their abilities!)...
MOST were total idiots. Yes, most could write code, but they had absolutely no idea of what the consumer wants and had their own ideas of what the consumer "needs" and by golly, they will FORCE the consumer to fit their (the programmer's) ideal. I have had more than one programmer tell me that they would not spend 10 minutes of their time improving the code to save the end user a minute of execution time each time the program is run. QUOTE: "The pay is the same either way and I don't care." UNQUOTE!
As for the present situation, even though I have read the reports (as best as I could) I still have not assimilated the "Facts" (an probably never will), but it sure seems that if the "code" had never been given away in the first place, or not given away with the strings attached, the problem would be different... not necessarily better, but, at least, different.
I suppose that if one (or both) of the parties were a "bully" about it, then castration with a sledge hammer is in order, but I cannot pass judgment based on news reports nor without hearing both parties expound on their positions and understanding of the facts directly to me... and I don't count in this situation.
If this present judgment provides for More, Better, Cheaper (pick any two) products for this hobby then it is a good decision... otherwise the only winners are the lawyers.