Subject: Re: Lack of Cygwin contributors? Was: How is textmode/binmode determined ...
From: "Kendall Bennett" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 13:42:32 -0800

"Larry Hall (RFK Partners, Inc)" <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Well, they don't loose their right per se, since they have the
> source code GPLed right now, but they have the copyright too.  My
> point is that there is no benefit to Cygnus/Red Hat making this
> change to how they do things.  I know you would argue that this
> would get them more contributors.  And if you're right, then maybe
> it is worthwhile for the *project* to be this way.  There's still
> no obvious benefit to Cygnus/ Red Hat being involved in this. 

Nope, so then Cygnus has to put up with the fact that they will end 
up footing most of the core development costs. This is in fact how it 
has worked with our own Open Source projects. We have lots of 
customers using the code, but relatively few making modifications and 
enhancements. Instead we foot the bill and do most of the core 
development on the code, but we accept that.

> OK so now we know you won't contribute.  You seem to argue why
> from your gut though, since I've seen nothing coming from you that
> points to a document that says that if you assign the copyright to
> Cygnus that you've lost some ability to use you contribution. 

I am not a lawyer, but I do feel that I have a very firm grasp on 
copyright law simply because I am involved in multiple Open Source 
projects as well as developing and licensing proprietry products. If 
I assign my copyright for a piece of code to someone else, I lose 
*ALL* rights to that code and *CANNOT* use that code myself for my 
own purposes. The only way that I can do that is if I *RETAIN* the 
copyright and simply allow others to use it under a specific license. 
If this was not the case, then every employee who has ever written a 
line of code for a commercial enterprise would be able to use that 
code for whatever they want, regardless of whether their employer 
owns the copyright on the code they develop.

> Here's my only point.  If you want to argue that your rights are
> being restricted in a way with which you're uncomfortable, do so,
> but please make sure that you argue from facts and not supposition
> or impressions.  That just spreads rumor and innuendo, which
> doesn't help anyone. 

Sorry, but I simply don't agree with you there.

Regards,

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