Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 21:47:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@picnic.mat.net> To: Satoshi - Ports Wraith - Asami <asami@FreeBSD.org> Cc: Chuck Robey <chuckr@FreeBSD.org>, cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: cvs commit: ports/graphics/gd-old - Imported sources Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.10.9909092108420.40981-100000@picnic.mat.net> In-Reply-To: <vqcpuzthxwc.fsf@silvia.hip.berkeley.edu>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On 8 Sep 1999, Satoshi - Ports Wraith - Asami wrote: > * From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@FreeBSD.org> > > * gd graphics library. This is an older version, not to be updated, which > * allows gnuplot to have gif capability. This uses the name gd-old > > This does not seem like the right thing to do. The authors of gd have > explicitly disowned this version. From their web site: > > === > HEY! READ THIS! gd 1.6.3 creates PNG images, not GIF images. This is a > good thing. PNG is a more compact format, and full compression is > available. Existing code will need modification to call gdImagePng > instead of gdImageGif. Please do not ask us to send you the old GIF > version of GD. Unisys holds a patent on the LZW compression algorithm, > which is used in fully compressed GIF images. We are still > investigating the legal issues surrounding various alternative means > of producing a valid GIF file. > === > > Whether it's not a "good thing" I don't know, but we shouldn't be > distributing somethnig if the original author doesn't want that. I marked this BROKEN. My problem, Satoshi (and the reason I tried many times the last few days to get you on "talk") was that I finally got hold of Unisys's printed policy with respect to the LZW patent, and gif technology. It's a lot worse than I was told. They want a written license in *all* cases. They offer one on their web site, which I can use as an example: they only want $5K to license gif on two web server machines for a "bulletin board or intranet server". I thought earlier than Bill Fumerola was overreacting about the license issue, and I told him that. When I finally got to read Unisys's web page on this, I had to go back and apologize, because he was, if anything, not emphatic enough in his cautions. There isn't any verbage whatsoever that makes it available to the public. The gnuplot folks explicitly (on their web site) ask you to use older versions of gd, and they maintain copies of those on their site. There isn't any mention of the gnuplot folks having any LZW permission. What with our ports system having *reams* of gif-related stuff, I'm not sure what to do. You want gd-old marked restricted and added to legal, maybe no cdrom? That cans gnuplot too (unless I patch it to stop having gif as a terminal type). On top of that, all the various ports that use gif directly (like gifmerge) or indirectly (like xfig) are certainly in violation also. I don't want to decide this, I don't understand the legal aspects, so I am passing the buck. Sorry, but this will affect too many ports in too broad a manner, I need advice here. If it's of any help, here's Unisys's own web site telling the license story: http://corp2.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzwfaq.html > > Satoshi > ---------------------------+----------------------------------------------- Chuck Robey | Interests include any kind of voice or data chuckr@mat.net | communications topic, C programming, Unix and 213 Lakeside Drive Apt T-1 | carpentry. It's all in the design! Greenbelt, MD 20770 | picnic.mat.net: FreeBSD/i386 (301) 220-2114 | jaunt.mat.net : FreeBSD/Alpha ---------------------------+----------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.BSF.4.10.9909092108420.40981-100000>