Rich, Perhaps you are correct, and I am chasing ghosts on this one. The only possible scenario that I could think of is a company that pursues numerous patent claims, possible against one or more open source projects, but which releases code under an open source license and manages that code as an open source project.
Would the patent lawsuits matter to the "volunteer" developers working on the company's open source project? This may not be the best example. What I'm trying to illustrate is the degree to which developers consider or question a company reputation and character before they contribute to an open source project managed by that company. Landon -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rich Gibson Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 12:01 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Geowanking] Measuring Open Source Citenzenship - A Twist >For example, the idea that "any open source code > is good code" troubles me a little bit. Are we saying as a wider community > that we don't care what a companies motives for releasing code is, as long > as that code is released under an open source license? I am trying, but I lack the imagination to imagine motivations and circumstances where the license selected in releasing code was (in my worldview) immoral or unethical. Writing and releasing particular code could be unethical to me, think malware, but the ethical problem is that code being in the wild, not the particular license. With that said, you have a particular sensitivity to thoughts of corporate bad behavior in regards to releasing code. I am very curious to hear what you are imagining as being a bad corporate motive. -- Now offering training and consulting in maximizing corporate efficiency using Web 2.0 tools and techniques. Rich Gibson Chief Scientist (and bottle washer), Locative Technologies http://mappinghacks.com http://geocoder.us http://testingrange.com AIM period3equals _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking
