Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!pacbell.com!ames!lll-winken!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!fatcat!acadch!impch!accsys!augs!josef From: josef@augs.ccs.imp.com (Josef Egloff) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: THE MEANING OF 'PUBLIC DOMAIN'...Lets define it!!! Message-ID: Date: 22 Jul 90 02:30:37 GMT References: <157@cbmcel.UUCP> <2333@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil> <1990Jul19.142119.7485@uncecs.edu> <26034@usc.edu> Lines: 35 >In article <26034@usc.edu> papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes: >>In article <2333@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil> nfs1675@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil ( Michael S Figg) writes: >>>As far as I am concerned, Public Domain software is that which is released by >>>the author without payment required up front. This includes freely distributed, >>>shareware, and other forms of publicly distributed software. This is only the >>>way I see it, others see it differently. first, I find this a good idea, to talk about public domain. Now we in our usergroup (Amiga Usergroup Switzerland) have defined a new term for 'public domain', we call it FD -> Freely Distributable. Thsi means only that this software can be copied without any costs. This doesn't mean the software *is* free! We have done this, because here in europe is a big confusion about the term public domain. Most peoples think that's software wich can be copied and used without to pay for it. This confusion is produced by some german computermagazines (I wouldn't say names but there is the big money behind). Also we have the problem with some 'pd-distributors' they sell programs for prices that every programmer can be lucky, but this is also done with shareware. Several dealers sell shareware programs for about 30 to 40 DM (20 - 35 $), and the only work they had to do was to copy the program from Freds AmigaLibDisk to an empty disk. I never had heard, that they gave a programmer (wich has done the shareware program) some money. So some of the programmers here went to the court, with less success :-(. This has initiated a big talking about PD, Freeware and Shareware, and the first (I think) PD-war in the computers history. Every programmer is angry with the dealers and vice versa. That's my story, I hope there will be a new disussion about PD and that we can define some standards. cu josef -- < Josef Egloff | USENET: josef@augs.ccs.imp.com > < Pfaffnernweg 19 | PATH: impch!accsys!augs!josef > < CH - 4852 Rothrist | > < Switzerland | AUGS: as SYSOP (acc #1) >