Re: [OSS] Re: Fwd: Second OSS Conference - Follow Up

Andi,

I was talking about VietKey's keyboard driver, not about their Linux distro.

Their keyboard driver underwent obviously a change of coats:
First, a normal proprietary commercial program, allowing use on a single
hard disk. As soon as you changed your HD, you had to buy a new license.
This was the "official" version for foreigners who were looking for a way
to pay.
Since it got cracked, they did not care too much about Vietnamese users not
paying the fees, or they were requested to pay only a fraction. It was
basically a negotiable price.
Now they are obviously applying again a dual-mode: On one of their websites
they are still offering it for pay, on another website, they are offering
free download. No sources are available, and Tuan has no intention to
release them.

On the other side they are making this "VietKey Linux". This is what I
meant with "Riding the wave, but not releasing sources".
Regarding "VietKey Linux": During the Conference, Tuan told me, that they
would make the sources available "on request". The last time we called them
here in Hanoi, they said, that they don't know yet how to distribute the
binaries - and the sources.

Now they say: they _will_ host the sources on a webserver
_once_they_have_one_ (which will not happen in the near future) - means: no
sources for now for their Linux distro.

And, to host the sources only on a website is against the GPL.
They plan a "One CD Distribution", which means the sources are probably in
the 2 GB range (?). Now, who in Vietnam would download 2 GB from a website????
This is clearly a way to deter people from having a look at the sources.
If they distribute on CD, then they have to make also the sources available
on CD: "from the same place, where the binaries can be obtained".

Did you ask them under which license they would release their "VietKey Linux"?
In case they say "GPL", then how do they interpret the clause which
stipulates where the sources have to be available?

Cheers,
Stefan

At 22:18 29.01.2003 +0000, you wrote:
-------------------------
>At 04:17 2003.01.30, Richard Stallman wrote:
> > > I asked Tuan, why he does not post the source code of his VietKey
> keyboard
> > > driver.
> > > His reply: His VietKey is "Free Software", but not "Open Source
> Software".
> > > I asked him, how he would translate this "Free Software" to
> Vietnamese, and
> > > he said "Phan Mem Mien Phi". I replied, that this is not "Free
> Software",
> > > but "Freeware". "Free Software" would be "Phan Mem Thu Do".
> >
> >Here is a developer that wants to think he is contributing to our
> >community while in fact he is refusing to contribute;
> >
> >Since Vietnamese has two different words for "libre" and "gratuit", it
> >should be easy to talk about free software in Vietnamese and make it
> >perfectly clear that this developer is not supporting users' freedom.
> >That should help show the community that people like him are not
> >contributors.
>
> >From: "Tran Viet Hung" <hungtrv@vietkey.net>
> >To: "AD Marshall" <AD.VICE@ParadoxCafe.Net>
> >Subject: Re: VietKey Linux d/l where / o+? dda^u
> >Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 13:03:20 +0700
> >
> >Dear Mr AD Marshall !
> >
> >Vietkey Group rely on some existing components such as Linux kernel, Qt
> >library, XFree86, KDE,... to build Vietkey linux. We have built own Linux
> >installer so we can update our distribution quickly whenever open source
> >communitee release new version of components. These are some main features
> >of Vietkey linux:
> >- Linux kernel: 2.4.18
> >- XFree86: 4.2
> >- Qt: 3.0.3
> >- KDE: 3.0.3
> >We will provide source code of Vietkey linux in our Website, but now we
> >don't have a dedicate server to upload Vietkey linux and source code.
> >Thanks a lot

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