ion3 window manager no longer available
to whom it may concern (hopefully one of the macports maintainers): I've got this message from `ports' today when trying to upgrade the `ion3' window manager: % port upgrade ion3: ======================================================================== This port has been removed due to concerns on the software license used. Should you still want to install it, have a look at: http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~tuomov/ion/. You can also choose to try out another window manager; to list all the ones directly available using MacPorts, issue the following command: port list category:x11-wm ======================================================================== I know about the trouble with the new license from the `ion3' mailing list. without going into the details of the license text, I nevertheless believe the real concern of the author is that he should not be "spammed" by users having installed some "obsolete" (which means a few weeks old for him) version. he seems to demand only clear notification of the users, which is an "interpretation-prone" thing. since `ion3' actually is a very fine window manager for a certain type of work, may I ask you to check whether it would'nt be sufficient to modify the package info line accordingly with some "wildcard" disclaimer of the kind: "if this version is older than xxx weeks, please take note that this version is considered "obsolete" by the original author. upgrade manually to the most recent version found at http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~tuomov/ion/ before sending bug reports or questions to the author" I'm under the impression that there is no real issue here apart from the ion3 author creating a complication which you, the package maintainer may find unnecessary (you're probably right). I'd appreciate very much seeing `ion3' again on macports (and one could give other systems (e.g. FreeBSD, the different Linuxes) a hint how to circumvent/solve the license issue). thanks a lot (for macports in general I mean) joerg
On 2007-12-17 13:35:00 +0100, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
since `ion3' actually is a very fine window manager for a certain type of work, may I ask you to check whether it would'nt be sufficient to modify the package info line accordingly with some "wildcard" disclaimer of the kind:
"if this version is older than xxx weeks, please take note that this version is considered "obsolete" by the original author. upgrade manually to the most recent version found at http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~tuomov/ion/ before sending bug reports or questions to the author"
The name also needs to be changed. -- Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.org> - Web: <http://www.vinc17.org/> 100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <http://www.vinc17.org/blog/> Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Arenaire project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)
On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 02:01:58PM +0100, Vincent Lefevre wrote:
On 2007-12-17 13:35:00 +0100, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
since `ion3' actually is a very fine window manager for a certain type of work, may I ask you to check whether it would'nt be sufficient to modify the package info line accordingly with some "wildcard" disclaimer of the kind:
"if this version is older than xxx weeks, please take note that this version is considered "obsolete" by the original author. upgrade manually to the most recent version found at http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~tuomov/ion/ before sending bug reports or questions to the author"
The name also needs to be changed.
what name? the name of the package? why not call it `ion3_x11-wm' or whatever? I think one should be as pragmatic as possible about this: problem is artficial (from macports point of view, anyway), but ion3 is good software, so make the name change, explain reason in package info, provide package and forget about the "noise". this possible or not? joerg
On Dec 17, 2007, at 10:44 AM, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 02:01:58PM +0100, Vincent Lefevre wrote:
On 2007-12-17 13:35:00 +0100, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
since `ion3' actually is a very fine window manager for a certain type of work, may I ask you to check whether it would'nt be sufficient to modify the package info line accordingly with some "wildcard" disclaimer of the kind:
"if this version is older than xxx weeks, please take note that this version is considered "obsolete" by the original author. upgrade manually to the most recent version found at http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~tuomov/ion/ before sending bug reports or questions to the author"
The name also needs to be changed.
what name? the name of the package? why not call it `ion3_x11-wm' or whatever? I think one should be as pragmatic as possible about this: problem is artficial (from macports point of view, anyway), but ion3 is good software, so make the name change, explain reason in package info, provide package and forget about the "noise". this possible or not?
joerg _______________________________________________
Because using the name ion3 in any form would be a license violation. Given the author's propensity for flame wars (not to mention possible law suits) I think IMHO we are better off without him. May I suggest you complain to the author instead. Why doesnt he incorporate a check for updates in his software and tell the end user there is no support for non-current versions if this bothers him so much? William Davis frstanATbellsouthDOTnet Mac OS X.5.1 Darwin 9.1.0 X11.app 2.1.1 - (xorg-server 1.3.0-apple5) Mac Mini Intel Duo @ 1.86 GHz Mundus vult decepi, ego non
On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 12:22:20PM -0500, William Davis wrote:
On Dec 17, 2007, at 10:44 AM, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 02:01:58PM +0100, Vincent Lefevre wrote:
On 2007-12-17 13:35:00 +0100, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
since `ion3' actually is a very fine window manager for a certain type of work, may I ask you to check whether it would'nt be sufficient to modify the package info line accordingly with some "wildcard" disclaimer of the kind:
"if this version is older than xxx weeks, please take note that this version is considered "obsolete" by the original author. upgrade manually to the most recent version found at http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~tuomov/ion/ before sending bug reports or questions to the author"
The name also needs to be changed.
what name? the name of the package? why not call it `ion3_x11-wm' or whatever? I think one should be as pragmatic as possible about this: problem is artficial (from macports point of view, anyway), but ion3 is good software, so make the name change, explain reason in package info, provide package and forget about the "noise". this possible or not?
joerg _______________________________________________
Because using the name ion3 in any form would be a license violation.
ok, got it. but the debian solution (some other arbitrary name) would work. so why can't you just include this (the renaming of the executable) into the patch procedure.
Given the author's propensity for flame wars (not to mention possible law suits) I think IMHO we are better off without him.
May I suggest you complain to the author instead. Why doesnt he
believe me, I did. but you can only talk so much.
incorporate a check for updates in his software and tell the end user there is no support for non-current versions if this bothers him so much?
he will tell you that the user's are'nt going to read this, so it's not prominent enough etc etc.
nevertheless, `ion3' is a very good tool (the author's attitude does not shine through :-)), so I would really appriciate it, if it's availability could somehow be secured. joerg
On 2007-12-17 19:04:17 +0100, Joerg van den Hoff wrote:
On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 12:22:20PM -0500, William Davis wrote:
Because using the name ion3 in any form would be a license violation.
ok, got it. but the debian solution (some other arbitrary name) would work. so why can't you just include this (the renaming of the executable) into the patch procedure.
The package name also needs to be changed, and perhaps other filenames (e.g. the man page if there's one...). I think that for firefox, all this can be done automatically via a configure option. The author of ion3 should provide something similar. BTW, if the e-mail address for bug reports is somewhere in the doc files, it should probably be changed too. :) -- Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.org> - Web: <http://www.vinc17.org/> 100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <http://www.vinc17.org/blog/> Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Arenaire project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)
participants (3)
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Joerg van den Hoff
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Vincent Lefevre
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William Davis