[sldev] ESC exempt from open source and GPL licensing?

[Taran Rampersad]

Corax wrote:
> If I ever contribute, it will only be to one of the community viewers,
> independent of LL. Whether that will do as much good as contributing
> to LL's viewer is debatable, but at least my code won't be stolen. By
> stolen I refer to taking someone's code for use in a commercial
> product without paying them for it, even if it's technically legal.
>
> Corax Homewood
I'm in the same boat as Corax as far as this goes. I have requested
information from Linden Lab, and since I didn't get a response from
Linden Lab I tried asking people more experienced with the project.

Linden Lab has sold a commercial license but cannot put a price tag on
what one costs (and I have a bona fide reason for asking).

The feel I'm getting from the list is that they don't want anyone asking
questions about the licensing (Argent Stonecutter and Hamncheese are the
ambassadors). I've heard beliefs, I've been pointed to an unofficial
FAQ... frankly, for a professional and at least partially funded
project, I don't see it being very robust from what I have been seeing -
which is not reflection on the developers, but on the licensing
structure and information available.

The feel I am getting at this point is that ESC got a special deal that
Linden Lab is not willing to give to anyone else at this time. It is
easy to speculate that nothing was actually paid for it, and that it
just got wrapped into a commercial license. Or one could speculate that
it cost oodles of money, and Linden Lab is not willing to share that
information.

That said, I will wait 48 hours without posting on this (or responding
to bait, thank you for the kind offers in advance), and if I do not
receive an answer from Linden Lab by that time - I will quite simply
work with the facts on hand and in the interests of my clients. At this
point, that interest is to work with community viewers if and when
necessary.

Good luck, everyone.

-- 
Taran Rampersad

http://www.knowprose.com
http://www.your2ndplace.com

'Making Your Mark in Second Life: Business, Land, and Money'
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514174/

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