Dear Team, This sounds good to me. Especially the comment about software patents. Software source code can be written with different variable names and slightly different coding styles. But when a specific function needs implementation, often there is only one logical approach. If that approach is patented, then it becomes "un-usable" by most programmers. It is essentially by nature the same thing as allowing artists to patent certain shades of color, because they have used it first in a famous painting. The idea strikes me as completely ludicrous.
However, I am all for giving credit where credit is due. I like to see copyright notices and references to the GPL in Linux oriented code. It gives me a better "feel" for those "upon whose shoulders I stand". Arthur ----- Original Message ----- From: "mlw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "David Terrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "PostgreSQL-development" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2002 8:44 AM Subject: Re: [HACKERS] PostgreSQL mission statement? > Jean-Michel POURE wrote: > > > > The PostgreSQL community is committed to creating and maintaining the best, > > most reliable, open-source multi-purpose standards based database, and with > > it, promote free(dom) and open source software world wide. > > > > I hope you don't mind writing "free(dom)" with the idea of fighting patent > > abuses. > > No, the mission statement is about what the postgresql group, as a whole, is > all about. > > I know it seems silly to have such a thing, but really, the more I read on this > discussion, the more it seems like it is a useful "call to arms" for developers > and users alike. > > Now, I do not wish to have a manifesto, but a short and sweet "this is who we > are, and this is what we do" could be a positive thing. > > P.S. I think every software engineer worth anything should fight software > patents. If Donald Knuth didn't patent his algorithms, practically none of us > deserve patents. I mean seriously, most of the software patents are trivial and > obvious. Knuth did something, most of us only build on his work. > > ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- > TIP 5: Have you checked our extensive FAQ? > > http://www.postgresql.org/users-lounge/docs/faq.html > ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate subscribe-nomail command to [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that your message can get through to the mailing list cleanly