> Doug Meerschaert > > A compiled, complete software can be 100% OGC. You don't even have to > distribute the Source, but even if you don't, it's OGC.
In theory this is true, but only if you write all of the libraries. I apologize to everyone for going over this again. I've raised all these points before. Modern languages have a lot more going on under the hood than the source code represents. A good example of this is the C Standard Library. Microsoft supplies the source code and binaries for the C Standard Library as part of Visual C++, but the copyright on that code is held by Microsoft. Same goes for the Microsoft Foundation Classes. On Linux the libraries are licensed under the GPL. In Java they are licensed from Sun. Portions of these libraries are inserted into your "binary file" transparently, creating a stand-alone file that is a melange of your code and their code. A binary file contains a LOT more than the compiled version of the source code you wrote. None of those licenses gives you the "authority to contribute" those extra binary pieces as OGC, which means the binary file cannot be called "100% OGC". So it is not possible to use a modern development environment to create software that is "100% OGC". I will make one tiny revision to the above statement. It IS possible to write code that is 100% OGC in an interpreted environment, such as JavaScript, VBScript, PHP, Perl or Python. In such a case there is no compiled code to distribute, so there is no more difficulty marking the OGC than in any text file. So while your statement is true in theory, it is not possible to put it into practice without writing EVERYTHING from the ground up. And you'd better start with the operating system, because the libraries that provide the Windows API are used under license from Microsoft, the MacOS QuickDraw Toolbox libraries are used under license from Apple, and the X-Windows interface libraries are courtesy of the GPL (and various third parties). > The OGL is software neutral. The fact that it will require a well-paid > lawyer to keep code non-open is something the OGL doesn't care about. The OGL is software neutral in the same way that a car is neutral about flying. There is no reason a car can't fly so long as you can figure out a way to get it up in the air. Trouble is, the OGL keeps you from buying off-the-shelf airplane parts for your car. You have to design your own. A conscious choice was made which makes it nearly impossible to use the OGL with software. That isn't neutral. At best you can say it is exclusive of software by accident, at worst it is deliberate. -Brad Please note, I haven't said one word about "commercial software". That is another issue that cannot be addressed until the underlying problem is resolved. _______________________________________________ Ogf-l mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l
