Re: Great

From: Robert Treat <xzilla(at)users(dot)sourceforge(dot)net>
To: Peter Eisentraut <peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net>
Cc: Josh Berkus <josh(at)agliodbs(dot)com>, pgsql-advocacy(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: Great
Date: 2005-04-14 23:53:58
Message-ID: 200504141953.58942.xzilla@users.sourceforge.net
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On Thursday 14 April 2005 15:56, Peter Eisentraut wrote:
> Robert Treat wrote:
> > I find it hard to believe that no one in the community has the
> > resources to pull this off. Heck I know a couple of people who know
> > people at IBM that probably could have pointed me in the right
> > direction.
>
> The only acceptable solutions for this issue would have been IBM
> withdrawing the patent application or IBM making a legally binding
> deposition that they grant a no-strings-attached patent license to
> everyone. Neither of these things have the remotest chance of
> happening. Neither IBM making this the 501st patent available for free
> use by the open-source community nor IBM granting a patent license to
> the PostgreSQL project nor IBM saying "don't worry about it" would have
> been acceptable. So removing the code was the reasonable way to
> resolve this on our part.
>

I believe there is at least the chance that IBM would have stated publicly
they had no intention of enforcing the patent. Again, I don't know if they
have done that before, but other companies have, and the good will gained
from such a gesture to the open source community would have been huge.

> Additionally, this sends out a message that the PostgreSQL project is
> not interested in compromising on the software patent issue. I'm very
> happy to send that message, and I wish that article would get
> syndicated to all the corners of the web.
>

I think it's good press for us too, but given that we couldn't even muster
enough support to put the no patents banner on the web site I think your
over-reaching here a bit.

--
Robert Treat
Build A Brighter Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL

In response to

  • Re: Great at 2005-04-14 19:56:12 from Peter Eisentraut

Responses

  • Re: Great at 2005-04-18 18:10:36 from Bruce Momjian

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