From owner-freebsd-current Sun Jun 3 6:49:50 2001 Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from CPE-61-9-164-106.vic.bigpond.net.au (CPE-61-9-164-103.vic.bigpond.net.au [61.9.164.103]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0D63437B403; Sun, 3 Jun 2001 06:49:42 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from darrenr@reed.wattle.id.au) Received: (from root@localhost) by CPE-61-9-164-106.vic.bigpond.net.au (8.11.0/8.11.0) id f53DnWN18067; Sun, 3 Jun 2001 23:49:32 +1000 (EST) From: Darren Reed Message-Id: <200106031349.XAA01100@avalon.reed.wattle.id.au> Subject: IPFilter licence update To: darrenr@pobox.com Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2001 23:49:24 +1000 (EST) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL37 (25)] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG Distribution: ipfilter list, FreeBSD & NetBSD developers & current lists. There is some amount of angst in the user community about what the IPFilter licence means. This has prompted some rather rash discussions and actions. Nevertheless, what I'd been led to think was bad (the old licence) isn't necessarily so, so let me clarify. The licence is intended to mean that people can use (which includes modify or patch or tune, as seen fit) IPFilter as found within FreeBSD/NetBSD for whatever purpose they desire - so long as the conditions (due credit and the notice) are met. At this point I'm not that excited about making any changes to the licence as that implies a deficency in the old one, one way or the other with one way of reading it making a criminal out of too many people and who wants to do that? I expect further releases will continue to contain the same licence notice. I am working with the core team for each project to ensure that this understanding is recognised by both parties at a more formal level, protecting the investment in time and effort by all concerned. At the very least it will involve a memorandum of understanding stating this being signed by the parties involved. If you're wondering why all of the "bad press" during the past week, then you can but thank Theo from the OpenBSD project as making it an item of news was one of his threats ("if you don't do as I say", essentially) which I had no intention of responding to. If anything, his actions have but delayed me in sending this email which was prepared, in part, early last week. As I've said elsewhere, IPFilter will go where I wish it to, under my navigation. This includes allowing it to be taken up by FreeBSD/NetBSD and used by others under those platforms as they see fit. Anyone who has emailed me in the last week with a question on the IPFilter licence should read the above, re-evaluate where they're at end send me an email if they have any further queries. Darren To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message