Re: X11 non open-source? (a solution?)

[Erik Walthinsen <omega@omegacs.net>]

Some of the points mentioned by Knorr make sense, that those companies who 
sell X should have to support the Open Group's development (they do, after 
all, have people working on it on salary).  But....

> The way I read the license, if you sell a software package that includes X
> or requires X, you need to buy a license from Open Group.  In other words,
> if I wanted to sell Linux and it had X11R6.4 on it, I would have to buy
> the license even though I am not, per se, selling X.
Now this starts to suck.

> If the software that I am selling will only work with X11R6.4 I can not
> get around the license by having the customer download X on their own.
Now we start to get Qt-ish.

> Basicly it boils down to this:
> 
> X11R6.4 is free to USE but you can not DISTRIBUTE IT FOR MONEY without a
> license. You can not distribute a larger package that X is only a
> component part of for money without a license from Open Group.  YOU MAY
> distribute X11R6.4 provided you do not charge for it.
So if R6.4 was included in Debian (via XFree), Debian would have to 
purchase a license.  Suck.

Here's a thought: XFree86.org purchases a special license from OpenGroup, 
at a fixed price, which gives them the right to scrub the XFree sources of 
the OpenGroup license, and distribute freely.  XFree wins, OpenGroup wins, 
and Linux and others win.  Commercial entities wanting to do X stuff will 
either go to OpenGroup for the latest and greatest, plus a direct say in 
R6.5 and above, or use XFree, and just use whatever comes down the 
pipeline.  Those who can would contribute to XFree86.org, to pay for the 
R6.4+ license.

Does that make sense?  Should it be proposed somewhere?  Are there holes in 
it that would have to be plugged?  Would XFree86.org and OpenGroup go for 
it?  Is public pressure and bad press enough to force it?


     Erik Walthinsen <omega@seul.org> - SEUL Project system architect
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      |    | M E G A            Creating a Linux distribution
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