kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["Tim Hanson" <tim@...>]

> > We are quite impressed with Kicad software. Congratulations and many
> > thanks for creating this tool.

I don't quite think they get it.. you can't just take it and say "thanks..."

> > We are a PCB design and manufacuting company: please see our website:
> > www.protoexpress.com <http://www.protoexpress.com/> .
> > We would like to use Kicad engine ( sourcecode) in a PCB design
> > workbench that we plan to customize for our manufacturing facility and
> > available on our website for general PCB designers.

I'd prefer Dick's option # 1 -- then we could all use whatever
enhancements they decide to contribute, and they are forced to be very
honest & not lock-in like Frank points out. I doubt they are going to
give us free PCBs. Am I going to give kicad developers free wireless
neural recording devices because I use kicad? probably...no. All I
can give are my (hopefully) useful features / bugfixes in exchange for
being able to both use it and modify it. That is the economy -- I
saved money by not buying Eagle & in return tried to contribute time
-- and they should play by the same rules. The fact that they are
asking permission means that they know they are doing something not
quite right!! (If they just wanted to svn co and compile, you would
not have heard from them)

A branch is slightly worse; if they add good features it will take
somebody time to merge them. This involves many details, and you know
where the devil is ;) Probably they want to add buttons for instant
ordering like PCB123 - maybe that stuff is better in a branch.

IMHO, Just tell them to become a developer on SF & give checkin
rights. I don't want anybody making undue profits from the software
either.

almost done with proper hierarchal sheets + references! arrg!!

ps. I've actually used that fabrication firm with kicad to make boards.

> >
> > We would like to know that it is OK with you.
> > Let us know your views.
> >
> > Thanks and best regards
> > Atar Mittal
> > Sierra Proto Express
> > PCB Design Express Division
> > 1098 West Evelyn Avenue
> > Sunnyvale, CA 94086
> > Tel: 408-731-2550
> > /
> >
> > This is not the first request.
> > Until now my answer was:
> > Kicad is under GPL license. You can use the code source as long as you
> > comply with the GPL license.
> > But now some (many ?) pieces of codes are written by active contributors.
> > So i need yours thoughts about this.
> > Of course this message is for active contributors.
> >
> > --
> >
> > Jean-Pierre CHARRAS
> >
>
> Jean-Pierre,
>
> SoftPLC Corp has contributed over 7,000 lines of code just *in the last
> month alone*. Previous to that, it has contributed many many hundreds
> of lines of code, concepts, and project direction. So SoftPLC Corp. is
> clearly a significant owner in this code. We normally bill customers
> at $75 to $200 per hour. So by any measure the company has invested
> many many tens of thousands of dollars into the project.
>
> Maybe in return, one of the things that Sierra could do for SoftPLC
> Corporation is to make prototype boards at no cost?
>
> In any case, the moment Sierra were to *distribute* any code, it trips
> the provision in the GPL which says they MUST make the [modified] source
> code available. Therefore, the next decision is how do they plan to do
> that? And why should that differ from them simply sharing our
> repository and making those changes available there? This last
> question is not rhetorical, it is a serious question.
>
> They can also fund changes they want and let us do them on contract.
> If a programmer gets paid somewhere, it might as well be one that is
> familiar with the code.
>
> I am *really getting raw* about working for free on this thing, and I do
> not want somebody to walk off into the sunset with the fruit of our labor.
>
> So to summarize, they can:
>
> 1) honor the GPL, and contribute their new code to our repository,
> either in trunk or a branch.
>
> 2) honor the GPL, and do a fork, creating their own online repository
> where all the new code can be available at any moment.
>
> 3) honor the GPL, and hire us to do the work.
>
> 4) honor the GPL, and pay us in free boards for support and future
> enhancements.
>
> Once a piece of software is GPL'ed, I suppose it can be forked by its
> owners (only), to a non-GPL-ed status. But as that ownership is
> fragmented, this becomes increasingly difficult to pull off legally
> without offending a dissenting owner. Therefore you would need
> unanimous agreement among all owners. So I don't list any options
> beyond 1) to 4) above. That does not mean I have thought of everything
> however.
>
> Dick Hollenbeck
> SoftPLC Corporation
> http://softplc.com
>
>