Re: DOM DOM binding considered harmful, discriminates against open source

Thanks for the proposed solution as well as the description of the 
problem. I've raised the issue within W3C and will see what we can 
do to make the DOM useful in open source applications - the 
copyright language wasn't meant to make it impossible to use the 
DOM!

thanks,

Lauren

On 9 Nov 99, at 13:48, John Cowan wrote:

> As currently construed, the DOM Java binding (the packages rooted at org.w3c.dom)
> cannot be used in any Java application that claims to be open source.  Similarly,
> the other DOM bindings cannot be used in open-source applications either.
> This is a severe problem for open-source developers who wish to either implement 
> or use the DOM in their applications.
> 
> The problem arises because the DOM bindings are considered part of the DOM standard,
> which may not be modified per its copyright notice.  The Open Source Definition
> (www.opensource.org/osd.html), clauses 3 and 4, requires that modifications be
> allowed to the source code of any open-source program.
> 
> The reason that has been given for denying a license to modify the bindings is
> that modified versions would not comply with the DOM standard.  However, this problem
> can be overcome by adding the following clause to the DOM standard's license:
> 
> 	However, modified versions of the DOM bindings may be created
> 	provided that:
> 
> 		the W3C copyright notices are not removed;
> 
> 		a comment is added that the modified binding
> 			does not conform to any W3C standard;
> 
> 		in the case of the Java binding, the package names
> 			are changed to be no longer in the org.w3c package.
> 
> I raise this point here because the DOM is directly affected, but it is really
> going to be a problem with any W3C standard API.  It therefore is probably appropriate
> to escalate the problem to a W3C-wide level.
> 
> -- 
> 
> John Cowan	http://www.reutershealth.com		jcowan@reutershealth.com
> Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies! / Schliess eurer Aug vor heiliger Schau
> Den er genoss vom Honig-Tau / Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.
> 		-- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)

Received on Tuesday, 9 November 1999 16:25:04 UTC