[Interest] Contributor agreement rundown

Andre Somers andre at familiesomers.nl
Thu Apr 19 07:52:03 CEST 2012


Op 19-4-2012 2:59, Nikos Chantziaras schreef:
> That is totally irrelevant to me.  If closing code doesn't happen in
> practice, then the agreement has no reason to secure that possibility.
>
> I can also see that many people here don't value open source software.
> I was under the impression Qt had transformed into an open project,
> surrounded by open source developers.  At least that's what the shift to
> open governance and contribution wants to make people believe.  But what
> I see is people who value proprietary methodologies more than open
> source ones and who fail to understand why an open source developer
> might have huge moral issues with the agreement.
>
> I am disappointed.
>
I'm sorry you feel that way, but I think the many people here recognize 
the benefits of the model we have now, and understand the business side 
of software development where compliance with open source licences - 
even those as liberal as the LGPL - is a source of concern. You might 
not agree, but that's the reality of this world.  And, in the end, who 
are you to question the motives of the developers working on Qt? If they 
find the current model a reasonable compromise - and I think many of the 
people who responded here tried to explain why they do think that - why 
do you worry about them contributing to Qt? Note that their efforts 
still become available to you under both GPL and LGPL, and that a 
significant part of the use Qt sees happens under these licences (that's 
a guestimate, I don't have figures to support that). I think it is 
unfair to depict these people as people who "value proprietary 
methodologies over open source" and people that "fail to understand". In 
my opinion, these people are open source realists instead of 
fundamentalists. I think it is also unfair to depict the Qt open 
governance move as some kind of ruse to "make people believe".

Anyway, if you disagree with the license arrangement, than sure, do not 
contribute code. You are still of course very welcome to contribute in 
other ways that don't have these moral issues attached.

André
  - who obviously only speaks for himself



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