Re: [boost] copied boost files in other projects

Subject: Re: [boost] copied boost files in other projects
From: Steven Ross (spreadsort_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-12-11 09:47:20

On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 11:47 AM Robert Ramey <ramey_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> Writing of software is a work of authorship and craft just as is other
> works like music, theater, movies, etc. are.  We should apply the same
> criteria law, custom and procedure to our software  as other authors do
> to they're own work.  The writer of these works "own" their work in that
> they have certain rights to place conditions on it's use.  The Boost
> license states those conditions and are very, very, liberal.  Basically
> all we ask for is that those who use our work acknowledge it's
> provenance.  Anyone who does not want to do this is free not to use the
> work.
>
> The concept of copyright has long history
> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_copyright_law) of promoting
> development of arts and technology.  It should not be lightly set aside.
>   Unfortunately, in recent years the software industry strayed away from
> copyrights into the world of patents - much to the detriment of software
> and technology and to the interests of those of us who create and use
> these tools.
>
> On a related note, somebody asked me to add a new sort call to the
Boost.Sort library, I told them we'd need to contact the author to get them
to send us a copy with the Boost copyright, and then they told me they
copied it and modified it, and sent it to me, and that was ok because it
had an open-source license.  I assume that I should automatically reject
any proposed new library contributions from that individual?

I wonder if a similar mechanism (third parties copying copyrighted source
code, removing the copyright, and contributing it) could be causing those
who own these other libraries to unknowingly be violating the Boost
license?  In that case, we should be notifying them, and if this is the
problem, they'll likely correct it.