Re: [boost] Legal problem with Stackoverflow contribution under the "Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0" license

Subject: Re: [boost] Legal problem with Stackoverflow contribution under the "Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0" license
From: Niall Douglas (s_sourceforge_at_[hidden])
Date: 2018-02-20 20:10:02

On 20/02/2018 10:41, Dominique CHABAUD via Boost wrote:
> I first submitted the case to the Boost Steering Committee... and I was
> suggested to submit it to this list...

Yeah the procedure is fairly undocumented. First you approach
boost-steering, they usually tell you to go to boost-dev, after some
discussion you then have the option to mail boost-steering with the key
phrase "I formally request that the Boost Steering Committee consider
the following problem: <insert explanation here>". That turns it into a
formal request, something they must action upon. Normal email without
that key phrase causes no effect on boost-steering.

> I am not a Boost contributor but I agree with those who proposed to rewrite
> these dozen line of code, that will close the discussions...

No copyright applies to those lines, as I've repeated an awful lot of
times now. There is nothing to infringe. Rewriting them would detract
from the codebase and reduce the study worth of Boost code. So I refuse
to do it as to do so is pandering to superstition and ignorance when we
should be taking a firm line on this instead, one based on evidence,
rationality, common sense and making the best code one can make instead
of brushing problems under the carpet, box ticking and refusing to cite,
acknowledge nor attribute originators of ideas and inspirations behind
great code.

As is probably clear by now, I find that whole mentality of hiding your
sources disgusting. Though, please do not take this as criticism of you
Dominique. I am very grateful to you for raising, and pursuing this
issue as it is one too often deliberately ignored lest what vipers may
be found under the carpet, and then people would actually have to deal
with this issue instead of pretending it doesn't exist.

If someone else wants this topic to go away, they can submit a PR. Boost
is open source. Be aware there is more than one use of stackoverflow
snippets in Boost. If you PR to deal with one, best do them all, as
you've just set a precedent.

Niall

-- 
ned Productions Limited Consulting
http://www.nedproductions.biz/ http://ie.linkedin.com/in/nialldouglas/