Re: gEDA-user: gEDA, where are the loadable examples?

[Al Davis <ad62@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Monday 14 March 2005 01:42 am, marvindickens@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
wrote:
> Stuart or anyone else is free to distribute his symbols and
> footprints under any license he sees fit to use. Stuart (Or
> anyone else) is free to simultaneously distribute symbols and
> footprints that he owns the copyright to under multiple
> licenses if he chooses to do so. 

Absolutely.  So can you.

I was referring to his CD with gEDA sources.  It would be nice 
to have all the symbols there, but if he charges for it your 
license prohibits him from distributing your symbols.  Is this 
what you want?

> Everyday, people use Bitstream fonts in Linux. They are
> copyrighted and owned by Bitstream. Yet, they are included in
> just about every linux distribution.

Please take a closer look at Bitstream's license.

=====excerpt follows====================
 Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person 
obtaining a copy of the fonts accompanying this license 
("Fonts") and associated documentation files (the "Font 
Software"), to reproduce and distribute the Font Software, 
including without limitation the rights to use, copy, merge, 
publish, distribute, and/or sell copies of the Font Software, 
and to permit persons to whom the Font Software is furnished to 
do so, subject to the following conditions:

(part omitted)

  The Font Software may be sold as part of a larger software 
package but no copy of one or more of the Font Software 
typefaces may be sold by itself.
=======end excerpt of Bitstream's license=========

Bitstream's license looks good to me.

> It seems to me that this is an issue of practicality -
> Politics do not apply. If some members of this community have
> decided not to participate with providing a reasonable set of
> core symbols and footprints for use without fee, it's OK with
> me. Even so, I intend to do everything that I can to ensure
> that really free symbols and footprints are available for use
> with these tools. It is the only way I know of to make the
> suite of tools viable. Further, I am not the only one. I have
> already received emails from others on this list who have
> already donated footprints and symbols and they have feeling
> similar to mine regarding this issue. During the next week, I
> will be opening the repositories for users to download
> footprints and symbols.

Your repository is of great value.  My concern isn't politics.  
Your license prohibits charging for a CD on which the symbols 
are distributed.  If you want your symbols omitted from them, 
that's your choice.  That choice limits their distribution, 
which is not what I think you want.  Their decision to omit 
your symbols based on the license isn't politics.  It is the 
risk of a lawsuit.