Re: gnuplot, ignore if tired of thread

[Daniel Heiserer]

address@hidden wrote:
> 
> In message <address@hidden>, Daniel Heiserer writes:
> >..... some stuff long ago ......
> >
> >gnuplot had a REALLY bad time from 1993-1998.
> >That covered all the 3.6.???? beta stuff and maybe some more.
> >They changed the copyright now.
> >AFAIK current is 3.7 and they work on 3.8.
> >So development has normalized ...
> 
> Daniel,  would you be so kind as to provide details on the
> current copyrights?  Last year when I investigated, it was
> still the patch based system.  Thanks.

Still patch based. 
The key thing is the following:
Copyright holders are T.W. and C.K. (see below).
Nobobdy (really nobody) knows where C.K. is!
T.W. was found after a long, long time.
Both of them probably didn't change anything at gnuplot
for the last ?? years (that is what I mean with the bad time).
The current developers (as far as I know), not that many, but some
idealists
as in any "free" sw-project, would like to have another 
copyright (GPL or BSD).
The one who can change the Copyright is T.W..
After two weeks I have his mailadress right now. :-)
MAYBE if most of the developers, and MANY enduser's 
especially other software projects like octave who use 
and NEED gnuplot ask him multiple times VERY POLITE
he might change his mind.
So let me know if there are enough volunteers to write some
polite mails with good arguments for a few weeks
(to get a free license is not free ;-)).

I, personally, would get really sick argueing and answering
mails concerning the same subject all the time ......

I would like to have another copyright for gnuplot of course,
but is it REALLY necessary?

The way it is used right now, doesn't use gnuplot-patches.

> 
more Copyright
/*[
 * Copyright 1986 - 1993, 1998   Thomas Williams, Colin Kelley
 *
 * Permission to use, copy, and distribute this software and its
 * documentation for any purpose with or without fee is hereby granted,
 * provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and
 * that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear
 * in supporting documentation.
 *
 * Permission to modify the software is granted, but not the right to
 * distribute the complete modified source code.  Modifications are to
 * be distributed as patches to the released version.  Permission to
 * distribute binaries produced by compiling modified sources is
granted,
 * provided you
 *   1. distribute the corresponding source modifications from the
 *    released version in the form of a patch file along with the
binaries,
 *   2. add special version identification to distinguish your version
 *    in addition to the base release version number,
 *   3. provide your name and address as the primary contact for the
 *    support of your modified version, and
 *   4. retain our contact information in regard to use of the base
 *    software.
 * Permission to distribute the released version of the source code
along
 * with corresponding source modifications in the form of a patch file
is
 * granted with same provisions 2 through 4 for binary distributions.
 *
 * This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty
 * to the extent permitted by applicable law.
]*/

> >
> >>
> >>     Daniel> I think that there is nearly NO ARGUMENT AGAINST gnuplot
> >>     Daniel> coming with octave.
> >>
> >> True, but I guess you get trouble with the copyright.  And with the
> >> strange rule '... you may not give it away with changed code
> >> ... changes must be shipped as patches ...'
> >
> >That was my question.
> >Does the come-with-gnuplot-suggestion cause licensing problems?
> >If yes we have to see if we can solve it.
> 
> Yes, this would be a good idea.  Repeated polite inquiries from
> many different people requesting contributor friendly license
> may turn the tide.  I have done my part.  Daniel is doing his.
> Maybe someone lurking on this thread might take a turn next month.
> 
> >
> >>
> >> For my taste a nice plotting library instead of gnuplot would be
> >> enough.
> >> Gnuplot is good but I only need 2D- and 3D-plotting functions on
> >> diffent devices without a second interpreter level.
> >> For this PLplot is nice but development has stopped.  But the GNU
> >> plotutils (the plot-library) comes in the future I think.
> 
> I basically depend on gnuplot.  I should probably archive a personal
> copy of the source, or I am basically screwed if the license
> takes a turn for the worse.
> 
> >
> >
> >I definetly didn't want to open the door to the discussion
> >about THE PLOTTING TOOL.
> >There was lots of discussion's about that in the last year.
> >Many people talked about looked for other ones.
> >AFAIK the conclusion is/was
> >-------------------------------------------------------------
> >There is nothing right there NOW wich can replace gnuplot fully.
> >-------------------------------------------------------------
> >Please correct me if I am wrong.
> 
> Well, you did open it.  ;)  And it will come up for discussion
> probably twice a year.  And "There is nothing right there
> NOW wich can replace gnuplot fully."
> 
> >
> >I also don't want to talk what the best solution is as long
> >as nobody PROVIDES one which works.
> >
> >I think there can be a LOT of improvement with the current
> >approach with a LITTLE work.
> >And that is what I would like to do.
> 
> Get the gnuplot license changed!
> 
> >
> >Because most discussion's lead normally to the really amazing
> >result that EVERYBODY has lot's of nice ideas but lives
> >on TIGHT TIME BUDGET. So we mostly don't see anything of it.
> 
> Yup.
> 
> >
> >So please give me some more minusses:
> >
> >current:
> >-copyright concerns
> 
> Thats it.  Thats the showstopper.  Change that and gnuplot could be dropped
> into a qt or gtk widget real fast.  There are already widgets written,
> with canvas support.  The only problem is license incompatibility.
> 
> dave d
> 

daniel



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