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[OT] What is Open Source?

Cliff Wells logiplexsoftware at earthlink.net
Wed Apr 17 17:10:18 EDT 2002 
On Thu, 18 Apr 2002 00:28:23 +0400
Oleg Broytmann wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 17, 2002 at 09:40:52AM -0700, Anthony_Barker wrote:
> > For me open source is simply the ability to "look under the hood" of
> > any program.
> > Almost every other type of human endevor allows this. 
> 
>    But not software. This is where the big problem lies. If you look into
> M$ "shared source" code, and use a part of the code later, M$ kills you
> using copyright and patent laws.

Especially when it affects your ability to even mimic the functionality of the
code with a different implementation.  You can no longer claim a "clean-room"
reimplementation since you've /seen/ their code.  In this sense, it's better
*not* to see proprietary code, even if it is available.  I suppose Microsoft's
claim that the GPL is viral could be better applied to their own source since
merely *seeing* it could affect your code whereas you have to actually *use*
GPL'd code to be affected.

-- 
Cliff Wells, Software Engineer
Logiplex Corporation (www.logiplex.net)
(503) 978-6726 x308  (800) 735-0555 x308
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