Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!husc6!paperboy!osf!dbrooks
From: dbrooks@osf.osf.org (David Brooks)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: The OSF is *what*?
Message-ID: <894@paperboy.OSF.ORG>
Date: 16 Sep 89 13:42:08 GMT
References: <8909130635.AA29672@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU> <8909131235.AA13992@fnord.umiacs.UMD.EDU> <1989Sep16.054622.21479@alembic.acs.com>
Sender: news@OSF.ORG
Reply-To: dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Lines: 55

I wasn't going to react in public to all this, preferring to let it
work itself out (also, I prefer to coordinate with my colleagues
before posting, and it's now Saturday), but the referenced article
needs one particular immediate correction. (I diffidently apologize
for excessive diffidence).

In article <1989Sep16.054622.21479@alembic.acs.com> csu@alembic.acs.com (Dave Mack) writes:
[...]

(during, mostly, a factually correct and well-balanced description of
our process)

>I think you have excessive expectations regarding what the Open Software
>Foundation is all about. The OSF products are "open" to OSF members. You
>plunk down your twenty-five grand for membership, then you're entitled
>to buy the Motif source for a grand, and presumably use it in your products.

Source is available to *anyone*, as of last July 21.

>(I haven't read the OSF License Agreement - I hope someone from OSF will
>correct me if I'm wrong.) I understand that binary copies are available
>for fifty bucks or thereabouts, although I don't know if you have to be
>an OSF member to get those also. 

Binaries, which will allow you to build Motif applications without
Motif source, will come from your favorite platform vendor or
independent software vendor.

>While the conversation I had did not deal with context diffs, the warning
>I got strongly suggests that posting diffs would not be appreciated by
>the OSF legal staff. The gentleman I spoke to gave me e-mail addresses
>for some mailing lists specifically for the transmission of bug reports
>and patches. I'm slightly hesitant to post the addresses - send e-mail 
>if you want them.

As noted, anyone with a source license has source *and* access to our
support mailing lists; we handle support both by phone and
electronically.  Diffs have, in fact, been a significant component of
such lists during the open development process and have been of help to
improve the quality of Motif.  If you have a license, you have access
to the lists; if you don't, you don't need it.  What I'm trying to
say, gently, is: please don't ask Dave Mack for the lists.

(Unless, of course, you have one of the many bootleg copies out there :-)

btw, it was due to such interaction with early licensees that the
original problem posted by Dave was addressed several moons ago.
-- 
David Brooks			dbrooks@osf.org
Open Software Foundation	uunet!osf.org!dbrooks
11 Cambridge Center		(My views, and OSF's, though I didn't
Cambridge, MA 02142, USA	actually show this to my boss)

"Is this heaven?"
"No, it's Massachusetts."  -- Field of Dreams (paraphrase)