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Re: gif license [message #27760 is a reply to message #27667]

Wed, 31 October 2001 18:46

Dennis Boccippio
Messages: 23
Registered: July 2000

Junior Member

In article <slrn9u07p6.cht.nobody@pooh.nrel.gov>,
nobody@nowhere.com (Steve Smith<steven_smith>) wrote:

>
> I am wondering the following: since IDL is an interpretive langauage, i.e. you
> cannot make standalone programs, then any potential user of code you may give
> out would have an IDL license, and presumably would not have the GIF/LZW
> enabled if they had not contacted Unisys and secured a license. So where is
> the problem? It would seem to me that your code would be useless to anyone
> without this license, am I correct? So I don't see how distributing your code
> is a problem (you are NOT distributing the ability to read/write GIF).

Seems logical; the portions of the apps with GIF export functionality
would be useless, although I'm not sure that would immunize us against
some hypothetical Unisys action, given the language of the agreement.
Actually, that raises a question - we haven't yet upgraded from 5.3
(because of the GIF issue and legacy code). How does 5.4+ IDL handle
READ_GIF/WRITE_GIF? Do they fail to compile? Or simply perform
nothing unless activated?

Personally, I'm torn on the LZW issue. On one hand, I think it's
perfectly reasonable to protect intellectual property, on the other
hand, I'm still peeved over U's handling of the issue several years
back, which smacked of a bait-and-switch, and doesn't seem corporate
behavior worth rewarding...

- DJB

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[Message index]

		gif license By: Michael L. Kaiser on Mon, 29 October 2001 12:21
		Re: gif license By: Dennis Boccippio on Fri, 02 November 2001 07:18
		Re: gif license By: Dennis Boccippio on Fri, 02 November 2001 07:16
		Re: gif license By: Dennis Boccippio on Fri, 02 November 2001 07:26
		Re: gif license By: Craig Markwardt on Thu, 01 November 2001 21:35
		Re: gif license By: David Fanning on Thu, 01 November 2001 13:53
		Re: gif license By: nobody@nowhere.com (S on Thu, 01 November 2001 08:25
		Re: gif license By: Craig Markwardt on Wed, 31 October 2001 21:22
		Re: gif license By: Dennis Boccippio on Wed, 31 October 2001 18:46
		Re: gif license By: David Fanning on Wed, 31 October 2001 08:17
		Re: gif license By: nobody@nowhere.com (S on Wed, 31 October 2001 07:59

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