What good is VNC's GPL?
Brian K. White
brian "at" aljex.com
Sun Apr 3 23:19:01 2005
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Smith" <sendjunkmailshere "at" gmail.com>
To: "James Weatherall" <jnw "at" realvnc.com>
Cc: "Brian K. White" <brian "at" aljex.com>; <vnc-list "at" realvnc.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 8:39 PM
Subject: Re: What good is VNC's GPL?
>I think that he was referring to Adam.
I was.
And just to be clear, I have no reason to beleive that Adams company is
doing anything wrong or not.
My point was a little more abstract and was only to say that this is a
question that deserves an answer.
I think that when dealing with any form of freeware, whatever the license,
anyone always has the right to ask this question and the the developer is
obligated to answer.
If they aren't doing anything wrong it should be very easy to say so.
(Maybe they have licenced some non-gpl code from realvnc? Maybe they have
written their own implimentation of the protocol from scratch? Maybe they
wrote an add-on like Tridia?)
I haven't heard that, and the more they avoid a direct answer the less
inclined I am to grant benefit of the doubt.
Saying that they will only deal with realvnc and that they are not obligated
to honor the license of public code they are using until realvnc approaches
them or responds to their approaches is NOT acceptable unless they are not
in fact using anything that is gpl'd. If they are using something that is
gpl'd then it doesn't matter that the original author organization (realvnc)
happens to still be in existence, the code being used is already gpl and is
no longer owned by realvnc and anyone using it is obligated to adhere to
it's license simple as that.
If they are in a less clearly black or white area, like maybe they have an
app that is all their own code, but which depends on a gpl'd .dll? I would
call that a form of add-on and not be in conflict with the gpl but I can see
how it could be argued other ways. In that case they should have established
their legalities long before now and so now it would still be a simple
matter to respond to questions about their use of gpl'd code.
Brian K. White -- brian "at" aljex.com -- http://www.aljex.com/bkw/
+++++[>+++[>+++++>+++++++<<-]<-]>>+.>.+++++.+++++++.-.[>+<---]>++.
filePro BBx Linux SCO Prosper/FACTS AutoCAD #callahans Satriani
> On Apr 2, 2005 5:51 PM, James Weatherall <jnw "at" realvnc.com> wrote:
>> Brian,
>>
>> The standard VNC releases are under the GPL (which of course then applies
>> to
>> any derived works). There is no question of the licence under which it
>> is
>> distributed.
>>
>> I don't recall having told anyone to shut up and go away... (Please see
>> my
>> previous mail, to which you replied).
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Wez @ RealVNC Ltd.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: vnc-list-admin "at" realvnc.com [mailto:vnc-list-admin "at" realvnc.com] On
>> Behalf Of Brian K. White
>> Sent: 02 April 2005 23:16
>> To: vnc-list "at" realvnc.com
>> Subject: Re: What good is VNC's GPL?
>>
>> Actually, I'm kind of curious to see a satisfactory resolution to this
>> myself.
>> Is VNC gpl?
>> Does the product incorporate gpl vnc code?
>> If the answers are yes and yes, then I am interested to follow the
>> progress
>> of this discussion and if the people selling that product are
>> uncomfortable
>> with the facts of life when using gpl code that's kind of just too bad
>> don't
>>
>> you think?
>> Linksys had to own up.
>> If they are not mis-using gpl code then I would like to hear a statement
>> to
>> the effect of "X has purchased or licenced some non-gpl code from us for
>> commercial use"
>> Or "vnc is not gpl it's bsd" or some other licence that allows
>> appropriation
>>
>> & resale without requiring contribution back to the community.
>>
>> Or else we must assume there is in fact a problem and it is completely
>> correct for someone to raise their voice about it and completely
>> incorrect
>> to tell them to shut up and go away.
>>
>> Brian K. White -- brian "at" aljex.com -- http://www.aljex.com/bkw/
>> +++++[>+++[>+++++>+++++++<<-]<-]>>+.>.+++++.+++++++.-.[>+<---]>++.
>> filePro BBx Linux SCO Prosper/FACTS AutoCAD #callahans Satriani
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "James Weatherall" <jnw "at" realvnc.com>
>> To: "'Adam Moore'" <adam.moore.scode "at" gmail.com>; "'Bob Smith'"
>> <sendjunkmailshere "at" gmail.com>; <vnc-list "at" realvnc.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 3:34 PM
>> Subject: RE: What good is VNC's GPL?
>>
>> > Guys,
>> >
>> > Just to clear one thing up, since I don't have time right this instant
>> > to answer these questions fully:
>> >
>> > Adam Moore is neither employed nor affiliated to RealVNC Ltd., and is
>> > therefore an inappropriate contact for matters relating to VNC or
>> > other products of RealVNC Ltd.
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> >
>> > Wez @ RealVNC Ltd.
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: vnc-list-admin "at" realvnc.com [mailto:vnc-list-admin "at" realvnc.com]
>> > On Behalf Of Adam Moore
>> > Sent: 02 April 2005 16:56
>> > To: Bob Smith; vnc-list "at" realvnc.com
>> > Subject: Re: What good is VNC's GPL?
>> >
>> >
>> > Ok I am going to respond to you Mr. "Smith". We have not responded to
>> > you because we feel you are actually not "Bob Smith". After doing
>> > some research your business does not exist. We have a guess of who
>> > you are. We are pretty sure you are someone who continually barrages
>> > our product with threats and posts in OUR forums telling people how
>> > bad our product is. Your
>> > website continually tries to disparage our product when we have done
>> > nothing
>> > to you. We are trying to conduct a business without trying to stoop to
>> > your
>> > level. Truthfully your facts need to be straight. RealVNC has not
>> > contacted us. We have tried contacting them, but they are probably too
>> > busy. If they were to contact us we would be happy to get into a
>> > discussion
>> > with them about our product. What it comes down to sir is that it is
>> > really
>> > none of your business the tactics that RealVNC takes. It is up to them
>> > and
>> > they will decide what they want to do with their product. This is a
>> > list
>> > for helping people with problems and that is what we have tried to do.
>> > I
>> > would appreciate it if you would keep posts here to that topic. This
>> > will
>> > be the last time I will respond to you about this matter. If you have
>> > anything that has to do with problems with RealVNC in itself I will be
>> > more
>> > than happy to assist you.
>> >
>> > I have to apologize again to this list for errant traffic that really
>> > doesn't have to do with this list.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Adam Moore
>> > Public Relations Coordinator
>> > SmartCode Solutions, VNC Manager
>> > Adam_Moore "at" S-code.com
>> > www.s-code.com
>> > On Apr 2, 2005 6:21 AM, Bob Smith <sendjunkmailshere "at" gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> I've posted to this list numerous times and I've asked the company
>> >> that uses VNC source code to create their own ActiveX control both in
>> >> public here and in personal emails. All that I want is compliance
>> >> with the GPL so that I can have the source code to their ActiveX
>> >> control.
>> >>
>> >> The guys at realVNC seem not to mind that they are not releasing the
>> >> source code. Does this mean that VNC code is a free for all, now?
>> >> Are we all allowed to copy as much of it as we want and sell it as
>> >> our own product with no risk of legal action?
>> >>
>> >> I wanted to make a free website that all of us could have found very
>> >> usefull but I need that source code to do it. Smartcode has ignored
>> >> every request both here in the list and in documented emails. This is
>> >> in direct violation of the GPL. I am on the east coast of the USA so
>> >> there's very little that I can do to a single code theif in Singapore
>> >> (the guy behind smart code) but this is the time for the authors at
>> >> Real VNC to either stand up for the GPL or just release the code as
>> >> freely copyable.
>> >>
>> >> You can't selectively enforce the GPL and expect it to hold any
>> >> weight in the courts. I know the the guys at smartcode monitor this
>> >> list becase I see them posting here often. There are a few other
>> >> "companies" that are stealing VNC code and reselling it as their own,
>> >> also. Can I just rename key function names and call it my own
>> >> product, too? _______________________________________________
>> >> VNC-List mailing list
>> >> VNC-List "at" realvnc.com
>> >> To remove yourself from the list visit:
>> >> http://www.realvnc.com/mailman/listinfo/vnc-list
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