SynthModules

That is what "public domain" means. You are placing the code in the public domain, 
allowing anyone to use it, and preventing anyone from asserting exclusive ownership.

What the current header does is assert exclusive ownership. That is not what I signed on 
for.

Also, there is a claim of intellectual property rights for hardware. The hardware was 
designed by Basic Micro Inc. and is the intellectual property of Basic Micro Inc. The 
software is written in MBASIC from Basic Micro Inc. which is the intellectual property of 
Basic Micro Inc.

Just because you hang a few op-amps and an off-the-shelf quad DAC on the pins of a 
Basic Micro processor, does not give you any intellectual property rights to their hardware. 
It is not in the best interest of Basic Micro Inc. to have people blocking sales of the Basic 
Atom Pro processors by false claims of intellectual property rights to their hardware.

If false intellectual property claims are attempting to block sales of products from Basic 
Micro Inc., causing the company a loss in income, the person making those claims may be 
liable for the loss of income and punitive damages.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, this is just common sense.

--- In SynthModules@yahoogroups.com, "Bryan E Cornell" <bcor@...> wrote:
>
> I probably haven't thought this through as much as others, but wouldn't some sort of 
license that stops somebody from trying to assert exclusive owndership of the code be a 
good thing?  Maybe that's not what the GNU license does.  Dammit Jim, I'm a librarian, not 
a lawyer.
> 
> Bryan
> 
> >>> grichter@... 02/27/06 4:40 PM >>>
> 
> The idea that if you are too lazy or stupid or crazy to do something useful, you get the 
> right to keep anybody else from doing it, is fundamentally un-American.
> 
> --- In SynthModules@yahoogroups.com, "Bryan E Cornell" <bcor@> wrote:
> >
> > Isn't this liscense just ensuring that nobody turns this into a private, commercial 
work?
> > 
> > Bryan
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > >>> grichter@ 02/27/06 2:11 PM >>>
> > > Grab the existing programs from here:
> > >     http://www.synthmodules.com/programs/PSIM-1_Programs/ 
> > 
> > This is utter and complete bullshit.
> > 
> > Mike Murphy and I were guaranteed that all software contributed would be Public 
> Domain.
> > 
> > All software I and Mike contributed IS still Public Domain, remove the GPL header. It is 
> > incorrect.
> > 
> > It is not the intent of the courts to use intellectual property laws to obstruct the 
> progress of 
> > American technology. The only claim a manufacturer can make against a copy is loss 
of 
> > income, which if you are not selling or shipping a design, CAN NOT be claimed!
> > 
> > If the design is not shipped commercially for two years, it becomes "fallow" and is no 
> longer 
> > defensible under intellectual property laws. The term is "failure to commercialize". 
This 
> will 
> > invalidate a PATENT, although the time needed is longer.
> > 
> > If you design something, you must put it in production, and KEEP it in production or 
you 

> lose 
> > all rights to the design.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Be sure to check out the primary Web site at:
> > http://www.SynthModules.com 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > SPONSORED LINKS 
> > Moog synthesizer Analog output Analog input 
> > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS 
> > 
> >  Visit your group "SynthModules" on the web.
> >    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> >  SynthModules-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com 
> >    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Be sure to check out the primary Web site at:
> http://www.SynthModules.com 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SPONSORED LINKS 
> Moog synthesizer Analog output Analog input 
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS 
> 
>  Visit your group "SynthModules" on the web.
>    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  SynthModules-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com 
>    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>

I probably haven't thought this through as much as others, but wouldn't some sort of license that stops somebody from trying to assert exclusive owndership of the code be a good thing?  Maybe that's not what the GNU license does.  Dammit Jim, I'm a librarian, not a lawyer.

Bryan

>>> grichter@asapnet.net 02/27/06 4:40 PM >>>

The idea that if you are too lazy or stupid or crazy to do something useful, you get the 
right to keep anybody else from doing it, is fundamentally un-American.

--- In SynthModules@yahoogroups.com, "Bryan E Cornell" <bcor@...> wrote:
>
> Isn't this liscense just ensuring that nobody turns this into a private, commercial work?
> 
> Bryan
> 
> 
> 
> >>> grichter@... 02/27/06 2:11 PM >>>
> > Grab the existing programs from here:
> >     http://www.synthmodules.com/programs/PSIM-1_Programs/ 
> 
> This is utter and complete bullshit.
> 
> Mike Murphy and I were guaranteed that all software contributed would be Public 
Domain.
> 
> All software I and Mike contributed IS still Public Domain, remove the GPL header. It is 
> incorrect.
> 
> It is not the intent of the courts to use intellectual property laws to obstruct the 
progress of 
> American technology. The only claim a manufacturer can make against a copy is loss of 
> income, which if you are not selling or shipping a design, CAN NOT be claimed!
> 
> If the design is not shipped commercially for two years, it becomes "fallow" and is no 
longer 
> defensible under intellectual property laws. The term is "failure to commercialize". This 
will 
> invalidate a PATENT, although the time needed is longer.
> 
> If you design something, you must put it in production, and KEEP it in production or you 
lose 
> all rights to the design.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Be sure to check out the primary Web site at:
> http://www.SynthModules.com 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SPONSORED LINKS 
> Moog synthesizer Analog output Analog input 
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS 
> 
>  Visit your group "SynthModules" on the web.
>    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  SynthModules-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com 
>    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>






Be sure to check out the primary Web site at:
http://www.SynthModules.com 




SPONSORED LINKS 
Moog synthesizer Analog output Analog input 
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS 

 Visit your group "SynthModules" on the web.
   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
 SynthModules-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com 
   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Bryan E Cornell (01:47 PM 2/27/2006) wrote:

 >I probably haven't thought this through as much as others, but wouldn't some
 >sort of license that stops somebody from trying to assert exclusive
 >ownership of the code be a good thing?

(as a voice from the sidelines...)

When I first saw the GPL, that's exactly what it was. It's changed and 
shifted and become so bloody convoluted that it's stoopid.

It _USED_ to be a "formal" way of introducing things into the public domain 
- the REAL public domain, circa late 70's. I was there, I have a lot of 
code in the PD.

Then people started coming along, pulling PD source, stripping the 
comments, adding features, putting their "copyright" on it, and then 
"release it for download" (NOT the same as putting it back into the PD). 
For those folks here that are old enough, the most notable example of this 
was the code for XMODEM and MODEM7. (anyone remember the name Irf Hoff? 
a$$hole)

Anyway...

When that crap started happening, the people that were behind XMODEM/MODEM7 
were too bloody nice to make a huge stink about it.. But there was a group 
of folks that said "okay, this sucks, we gotta do something about it".

 From how I was introduced to it, that "something" was the GPL.

The first GPL basically said the same thing that most of the PD headers did 
("dude, this is for everyone, add to it, fix it, make it better, but don't 
commercialize it") but now, there was a proclamation of a watchdog group 
behind the header and given that the community was small (this is pre 
Internet) it was easy to keep an eye on things.

The 'Net showed up, the GPL shifted and went right up to the edge of 
commercializing all this code - but stopped short of looking for $$$ for it.

The original concept of PD was to OPENLY AND FREELY share your ideas. You 
could take fragments of the source and use it in your apps (just add a 
"thanks joe!") and all would be well.

If you REALLY read the GPL now, there's not a lot that you can do with 
anything that's released under it. You can recompile the source, you can 
add to the project, but the GPL can "never" be removed, and ANYTHING you 
create with parts of GPL code instantly gets sucked into the GPL. _THAT_ is 
annoying.

For example, if I happen to find a random number generator that I like in a 
piece of GPL code, and I use that in my autonomous robotics driver, then 
ALL OF THE DRIVER SOURCE IS NOW GPL!

_WHAT_???

No, I don't think so.


Grant's right. NO ONE had the "right" to slap the GPL tag on that code. It 
goes against the nature of what Grant and Mike had intended.

Mark

Errata for the archives...


Mark Pulver (02:06 PM 2/27/2006) wrote:

 >For those folks here that are old enough, the most notable example of this
 >was the code for XMODEM and MODEM7. (anyone remember the name Irf Hoff?
 >a$$hole)

The name I gave above was a typo. The man's name was (he's since passed) 
Irv Hoff.


Mark

I'm really confused over this.  Basically, I'd like programs I write
to be useful to others.  I don't expect to make anything from these
programs but I don't necessarily want anyone else to either.  It's
probably not a real issue for the PSIM programs, but I've designed
some other hardware and software and  use a common header.

I also have this desire to put a disclaimer in  that says there is
no implied warranty or fitness for use.

What information should I put in my code?

Funny how I don't think about my hardware designs in the same manner 
although it is nice to see credit when others have used the design.

Dave

--- In SynthModules@yahoogroups.com, "Grant Richter" <grichter@...> 
wrote:

>
> That is what "public domain" means. You are placing the code in the 
> public domain, allowing anyone to use it, and preventing anyone
> from asserting exclusive ownership.