Davanum Srinivas wrote:
Andrew,Please don't overgeneralize.
Since Web Services = Legal Mine field...Getting the license for Apache will ensure that Apache as
a Legal Entity will be protected and that the coding can go on for now. There are 2 JSR's in the
jcp and WS-Security spec in OASIS that will need this as well.
Am not sure there anything else we can do in this situation. Am afraid this problem is going to
crop up up more and more in the future.
I don't believe that SOAP or WSDL or JAX RPC are legal mine fields. Every few months or so, however, a conspiracy theory shows up on Slashdot or the Register or ScriptingNews that IBM or Microsoft or RSA or whoever is undermining web services with patents.
I very much want Apache to be a safe haven from this. To put this another way, I want people to be able to come to Apache without concern for putting their own Intellectual Property at risk.
Once we muddy the waters, people will feel that they will have to scrutinize everything from Apache more carefully as they can't trust us to police ourselves.
What can we do? We can say yes to projects which aren't encumbered by such restrictions and no to projects which are. Hopefully, this will get some to change, and perhaps in other cases we will find safer alternatives.
- Sam Ruby
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
