On Wed, 17 Dec 1997, Greg A. Woods wrote:

>[ On Wed, December 17, 1997 at 18:31:16 (+0000), Alan Barrett wrote: ]
>> Subject: Re: PKG: ncurses status
>>
>
>.... To continue on with the remaining point that I missed earlier:
>
>> (The "distfile" is the unpatched stuff from the original author;
>> typically a tarball.  The "package" is the ready-to-install package;
>> typically a *.tgz file containing binaries and man pages.  AFAIK, the
>> stuff in the pkgsrc tree is never restricted by any of the above three
>> mechanisms.)
>
>Since at the moment NetBSD's pkgsrc tree doesn't include the distfiles,
>and indeed NetBSD itself doesn't even produce CD-ROMs, these
>distribution control flags don't really have any meaning.  It would
>probably be nice if they were supported and maintained on behalf of
>those who do want to ship distfiles and binaries, but it's not
>necessary.
>
>Which brings me back to ncurses again....  Since NetBSD doesn't directly
>distribute the ncurses source distribution, and since so far as I know
>the copyright on ncurses doesn't (and effectively can not) restrict
>distribution of minor patches to that source, why wasn't it left in the
>pkgsrc tree?

I haven't seen the ncurses copyright, but typically the liscense that
goes with these packages seeks to make a contract with the user, it
gives you the right to use the source according to the terms that
the liscense sets forth, and in return you agreed that your derivative
work will be covered either by the same liscense or other terms set
forth in the liscense.  Are you trying to argue that patches do not
constitute a derivative work?  Thought I am not a lawyer I know of
no legal precedent that establishes this.  Further I think that a
resonable legal argument could be made that patches are a derivative work.

>(The only reason I harp on about this is I mostly detest the original
>BSD curses, even with the many improvements added by NetBSD, and I'd
>rather have something better easily available, and until a suitable
>arrangement is negotiated to allow ncurses or something even better to
>be integrated directly into the NetBSD source tree, ncurses in pkgsrc is
>by far better than nothing.)
>
>-- 
>							Greg A. Woods
>
>+1 416 443-1734			VE3TCP			robohack!woods
>Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>; Secrets Of The Weird <woods@weird.com>
>
>

---------
Christopher R. Bowman
crb@ChrisBowman.com
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