Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

jonwimp
Tim,

Glad to be of help. :)

Frankly, I believe that the rate at which patches are processed/audited/committed has a lot to do
with us non-committers (or simply interested parties) testing and reviewing those patches.

A common cry on JIRA: "Will somebody test this patch please? Gonna commit inside of 48 hours."

Jonathon

Tim Ruppert wrote:

> Jonathon - I'm sure that you may be able to process patches VERY quickly
> - and that my friend, is a totally invaluable resource to have going
> on.  I mean please do more of them and report your findings, so that the
> project can move forward even more quickly.  It doesn't take a committer
> role to be actively involved in this.
>
> You may in fact grow into a role of a committer if you continue with the
> project and are able to help push the project forward as much as you
> appear to be motivated to do.  Thanks for being here - and keep up the
> JIRA testing - it means A LOT to all of us.
>
> Cheers,
> Tim
> --
> Tim Ruppert
> HotWax Media
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
> o:801.649.6594
> f:801.649.6595
>
> On Jan 26, 2007, at 10:00 AM, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:
>
>> Tim,
>>
>> For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I am confident that I
>> can process patches to my own sandbox faster than the OFBiz committers
>> can process patches to OFBiz.
>>
>> Maybe it's because I am becoming an OFBiz addict that I work on it
>> tirelessly and relentlessly? I don't know.
>>
>> And also, for some reason that escapes me, my commits seem to be more
>> tested and less unsettling than some of OFBiz's.
>>
>> Maybe it's because I don't have 10 paying clients to serve at once.
>>
>> Or maybe I do understand the OFBiz framework enough to be able to do a
>> "OFBiz-wide grep or other scan" in order to check whether my patches
>> break stuff. Sort of like what a good IDE will do, probably. But I'm
>> always stone-age, stick to simple tools (with good mind map).
>>
>> There's still this need to put together stable audited releases. I'm
>> sort of doing that with my personal "sandbox" on my harddisk.
>>
>> I can't guarantee I can do the same if I'm a committer in OFBiz myself.
>>
>> Jonathon
>>
>> Tim Ruppert wrote:
>>> I know this sounds overly simplified, but someone please explain to
>>> me why this doesn't work:
>>> 1. Someone - let's say Chris has a great idea for a new project
>>> 2. He creates a JIRA issue describing it
>>> 3. He attaches an initial patch
>>> 4. Someone else - let's say Daniel decides that he wants to
>>> contribute to this effort and downloads the patch
>>> 5. He makes some improvements, so he updates the existing patch as
>>> well as adds another patch containing additional data
>>> 6. Chris downloads it and makes some mods and reposts.
>>> Now, to me this doesn't seem that crazy - and is totally legal.  And
>>> . . . just so you know - replace Chris with Tim and Daniel with
>>> either Anil or Ashish and you have EXACTLY what happened with the
>>> anonymous checkout process!
>>> This shouldn't be this hard guys.  My suggestion would be to TRY one
>>> of these in this format and if you can't do it this way - THEN let's
>>> try and address it.  A separately maintained sandbox is absolutely no
>>> different  than managing patches - since both have to deal with
>>> integration back into the OFBiz trunk in some form or fashion.  
>>> Personally, I think the patches will be EASIER to maintain because
>>> they will allow you to make changes to existing code in an easier,
>>> more trackable format.  The alternative would be for you to maintain
>>> a sandbox - AND patches for updates to the source - doesn't that
>>> sound MORE tedious?
>>> Anyways, thanks for listening to my ramble.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Tim
>>> --
>>> Tim Ruppert
>>> HotWax Media
>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>> o:801.649.6594
>>> f:801.649.6595
>>> On Jan 26, 2007, at 3:04 AM, Daniel Kunkel wrote:
>>>> Hi
>>>>
>>>> First, please understand I hold you in incredibly high regard, and
>>>> apologize for causing any frustration...  You and Andy have created an
>>>> amazing software tool that I'm basing my business on, and you've given
>>>> it away. I love that! As you can see, your efforts are now multiplying
>>>> in to a system that has a life of its own, which will eventually change
>>>> the face of many businesses throughout the world.
>>>> During this process, you've needed to exercise great control in choosing
>>>> what to allow into the project, and what to reject. Since I often update
>>>> my production system to the svn head, I'm very glad someone is there
>>>> watching, and if you think about it, it makes sense that access has been
>>>> very limited to just the professionals that have devoted themselves to
>>>> the project.
>>>>
>>>> However, as it grows, there are more and more newbies that want to help
>>>> in their little way. Many *non-committers* who have wanted to give back
>>>> to the project have been stifled and frustrated, often because their
>>>> contributions were not appropriate, but sometimes simply because the
>>>> committers are too busy to review/test/correct their contributions. In
>>>> other cases, the resultant solutions are too specific to just their
>>>> business, or as a employee, the business although willing to donate the
>>>> code back, was not willing to devote the time needed to make the
>>>> consumable by the project at large.
>>>> So, what can we do to create a space where non-committers can share
>>>> their bits with the community? Please understand, we are agreed that
>>>> neither of us would want their contributions running on a system.
>>>>
>>>> - The source forge sandbox isn't really a good fit, because, as Chris
>>>> has researched, the legal ramifications of donating it back to the
>>>> project outweigh the benefits begotten from the group effort.
>>>>
>>>> - Forcing developers to work alone isn't working very well.
>>>>
>>>> - A sandbox with lots of committers isn't going to work. Thanks for
>>>> explaining that in your e-mail, I didn't realize this wasn't workable
>>>> till now.
>>>>
>>>> - Jira isn't working.
>>>> - The wiki could possibly work, but it doesn't go through the legal
>>>> process with each submission, and I cringe even thinking of trying to
>>>> work with code in wiki. Eek.
>>>>
>>>> - Even using the wiki, to catalog which jira issues are "in play" is
>>>> unwieldy. Patch nightmare actually.
>>>>
>>>> David, can you think of way to make a space in this community where the
>>>> new/non-polished committers can easily share and play together with
>>>> their ideas where they won't hurt the bigger project until the
>>>> components are well proven?
>>>>
>>>> Would it work to have a sandbox that is managed by the existing
>>>> committers, or perhaps a few new committers? As a committer, you
>>>> wouldn't need to give nearly the same amount of time and attention to
>>>> trying to make sure the commitment met best practices, free of bugs,
>>>> etc. Any developer could share their stuff that they've implemented for
>>>> their business, or other neat components. And, since the commitments
>>>> would be in svn on the other side of the "Donate to the Apache
>>>> Foundation legal radio button, it'd be easy for these developers to
>>>> collaborate and slowly bring unworkable buggy messes into gold. Finally,
>>>> users could easily find and try the components without mucking with
>>>> patch files, etc.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks
>>>>
>>>> Daniel
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, 2007-01-26 at 00:45 -0700, David E. Jones wrote:
>>>>> Okay, I just wrote a huge thing and deleted it. There might have
>>>>> been  good stuff in there, but I am really frustrated because I've
>>>>> said it  all before and based on the comments from Chris it doesn't
>>>>> seem like  anything it making it out there.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you're not a lawyer, then reference documents and processes  
>>>>> already established.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm not even going to bother going into detail unless people are  
>>>>> willing to:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. describe their understanding of how what they want to do would
>>>>> be  done under current policy
>>>>> 2. describe why that doesn't work for what you want to do
>>>>> 3. describe how the existing processes need to changed in order to  
>>>>> accommodate it
>>>>>
>>>>> A sandbox is a BAD BAD BAD BAD IDEA. Like you mentioned Daniel it  
>>>>> would create a huge mess. I'm afraid one of two things would happen:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. nothing
>>>>> 2. a lot
>>>>>
>>>>> In the case of number 1 it's not worth the effort to set it up. In  
>>>>> the case of #2 it would required more effort to administer and  
>>>>> monitor than we have resources for in OFBiz. There is no way I'd
>>>>> even  think about doing this under the ASF umbrella because I am
>>>>> not  willing to take on the responsibility of vetting a large
>>>>> number of  committers and recommending them as committers in the
>>>>> ASF, which is  BIG DEAL, and a responsibility and some people seem
>>>>> to be forgetting  that.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you want to be a committer you have to help with the project.
>>>>> You  have to take ownership of it, defend it, be committed to it,
>>>>> and so  on. Okay, now I'm doing what I was in the 2 page email I
>>>>> just deleted  and I'm stopping.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you want to know more about becoming and being a committer and  
>>>>> about contributing to OFBiz, READ THE DARN DOCUMENTS!
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't know WHY these questions are coming up here. Stop asking  
>>>>> them. Read the documents. I won't be baited into this any more.
>>>>> It's  a waste of time, and all based on supposition and not any
>>>>> real  problems or issues as far as I can see.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you develop something outside of OFBiz and want to contribute
>>>>> it,  here is the page describing how it works:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://incubator.apache.org/ip-clearance/index.html
>>>>>
>>>>> This is basically a streamlined incubation process for code going  
>>>>> into existing projects.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you really want to help and be involved in the project it means  
>>>>> working on OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF, NOT YOUR OWN! Yes, it makes it  
>>>>> easier to get your own stuff in but if that is all you're about  
>>>>> related to the project, then being a committer isn't for you.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you want to know more about contributing and being a committer,  
>>>>> read the docs:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/mQ
>>>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/r
>>>>>
>>>>> If you want to know more about licensing and legal issues, read
>>>>> the  docs:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://incubator.apache.org/incubation/Incubation_Policy.html
>>>>> http://incubator.apache.org/ip-clearance/index.html
>>>>> http://www.apache.org/foundation/how-it-works.html
>>>>> http://www.apache.org/foundation/licence-FAQ.html
>>>>> http://www.apache.org/legal/src-headers.html
>>>>>
>>>>> For a lot of good information, broaden the scope and study under:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.apache.org/dev/
>>>>>
>>>>> These were not written because someone was looking for some  
>>>>> entertainment. They were written so things wouldn't have to be  
>>>>> explained over and over.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm calling it a day now, as soon as I take care of some real
>>>>> issues,  and as long as my son with the flu doesn't throw up again.
>>>>> Sorry,  this is really frustrating, and really silly. Reality
>>>>> sucks, but we  all have to live with it.
>>>>>
>>>>> If people want to help, then help. Don't just ask for help. Start
>>>>> by  being a giver, not a taker.
>>>>>
>>>>> If this sounds a bit harsh, great! Go for a walk and think about
>>>>> how  things work in real life, then read it again. If you're still
>>>>> upset,  read it again. Then go read all of the documents
>>>>> referenced. Then if  you still have a question, send it on in, but
>>>>> PLEASE try to look at  it from the point of a MEMBER of the OFBiz
>>>>> community, and not a user  of OFBiz who really doesn't want to get
>>>>> involved.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you're asking "how are you going to solve this problem" then  
>>>>> you're asking the wrong question. If you want to participate as
>>>>> "how  can I solve this problem", if "I" can't, then do with "how
>>>>> can we  solve this problem". I don't mean that is what should be in
>>>>> your  email, I mean that is what should be in your head. If you
>>>>> can't find  an answer yourself that is 100% okay, just start a
>>>>> discussion and  accept what you asked for.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you don't like the answer explain why it doesn't work for you,  
>>>>> which brings us back to the beginning of this email...
>>>>>
>>>>> -David
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 25, 2007, at 6:10 PM, Daniel Kunkel wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> David
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Can you explain your reticence to adding an Apache OFBiz sandbox where
>>>>>> more members of the community could share their work?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I can see this section possibly getting a disorganized over time with
>>>>>> *junk*... but it can be deleted easily enough. As a top level project
>>>>>> would it possible and better to organize a sub project for this?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Daniel
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Thu, 2007-01-25 at 12:41 -0800, Chris Howe wrote:
>>>>>>> I think we're talking about two different things.  You're
>>>>>>> talking  about
>>>>>>> developing and I'm talking about legal issues.  The manner of
>>>>>>> developing was already discussed in OFBIZ-499.  The only legal way to
>>>>>>> use JIRA to collaborate this type of thing is to keep sending updated
>>>>>>> patches to JIRA or to have a committer review and add it to a
>>>>>>> specialized application.  Neither one of these is speed of  
>>>>>>> development
>>>>>>> friendly.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Legal concerns wouldn't have been one of the primary driving  
>>>>>>> forces of
>>>>>>> moving to the ASF if it were true that "we've done fine for years".
>>>>>>> The project still has technical exposure to a C & D order as the CLA
>>>>>>> only covered works the copyright holder gave directly to the ASF not
>>>>>>> the works the copyright holder gave to the OFBIZ project prior to
>>>>>>> incubation.  IANAL, and I don't think there is significant exposure,
>>>>>>> but it is still there. That opinion isn't based on the vehicle  
>>>>>>> used to
>>>>>>> create Apache OFBiz, but on the impression of kindheartedness
>>>>>>> from  the
>>>>>>> members of the community prior to incubation.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't want to speculate on the legal relationship the group that
>>>>>>> worked on the anon checkout had, but I would suspect that it  
>>>>>>> generated
>>>>>>> some negative legal exposure as well and that the proposed setup of
>>>>>>> Developers Conference will add to that.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The only feedback that I've received from the general incubator list
>>>>>>> are speculations, all with the caveat that the poster is not a lawyer
>>>>>>> either and no one has been willing to post it to the legal-discuss
>>>>>>> list.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This issue is one of the MAJOR reasons for the existence of non-
>>>>>>> profit
>>>>>>> entities like the ASF, FSF, and SPI.  So again, I ask you to  
>>>>>>> reconsider
>>>>>>> the need of a more public sandbox where this kind of community
>>>>>>> collaboration can be done without the complications of copyright
>>>>>>> infringement, or at the very least pose the question to legal-discuss
>>>>>>> for a formal opinion from those representing the ASF's interests.  It
>>>>>>> is my understanding that when it's added to Apache owned SVN, ASF is
>>>>>>> the copyright holder of the collective work instead of an impromptu
>>>>>>> partnership where the individuals have no legal authority to offer a
>>>>>>> collective work.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>> Chris
>>>>>>> --- "David E. Jones" <[hidden email]
>>>>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I REALLY don't think you need a sandbox for this. We've done
>>>>>>>> fine  for
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> years without one, even with the recently re-done ecommerce  
>>>>>>>> anonymous
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> checkout process and alternative checkout processes which were
>>>>>>>> developed entirely outside of OFBiz.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Getting this stuff done is mostly a matter of knowing what you're
>>>>>>>> doing and having a clear goal to work towards, a design of sorts if
>>>>>>>> you will. A sandbox won't help that.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Once you have a design you can start building it without
>>>>>>>> touching  the
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> current stuff, just make it an alternate path and don't break
>>>>>>>> anything existing along the way. Once it is complete, then another
>>>>>>>> patch can go in to remove the old code.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> It's that simple. That process has been followed well over a hundred
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> times over the life of OFBiz and even for those with commit access
>>>>>>>> it's the only way to go. If you don't have commit access, it's even
>>>>>>>> better because you can develop until you're stuck or out of time,
>>>>>>>> then throw in a patch and have it committed without breaking  
>>>>>>>> anything
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> else, even if the new thing isn't working 100%.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -David
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Jan 25, 2007, at 12:05 PM, Chris Howe wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Hey Anil,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I've begun some of this already.  I'm taking the approach of
>>>>>>>> passing
>>>>>>>>> the cart to a simple method that first checks the order type and
>>>>>>>> then
>>>>>>>>> calls a method or service that is focused on that order type.  Each
>>>>>>>>> order type service will call a multitude of methods/services that
>>>>>>>>> prepare the cart data to be entered into the datasource.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I would love to collaborate on this, but because of the size, it's
>>>>>>>>> rather difficult to do by passing patches back and forth through
>>>>>>>> JIRA
>>>>>>>>> without having a reference point that SVN provides.  This is one of
>>>>>>>>> those things that the ofbiz-sandbox project would be good for, but
>>>>>>>> it
>>>>>>>>> still has a legal issue that will prevent it from being entered
>>>>>>>> back
>>>>>>>>> into the project.  I can as an individual grant Apache the license
>>>>>>>> it
>>>>>>>>> needs for the work I do, you as an individual can grant Apache the
>>>>>>>>> license it needs for the work you do, but without each of us
>>>>>>>> assuming
>>>>>>>>> the liability of a partnership we cannot grant a license for the
>>>>>>>> work
>>>>>>>>> as a whole.  The only way around this is to use ofbiz-sandbox SVN
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> make patches for each commit and each of us resubmit our own patch
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>> OFBiz JIRA with the order they need to be applied in.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> This would be sooooo much easier if the members of OFBiz PMC would
>>>>>>>>> respond on including a public sandbox in Apache OFBiz as each SVN
>>>>>>>>> commit will be licensed to Apache, and Apache will be the owner of
>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> work as a whole instead of an impromptu partnership being the
>>>>>>>> owner.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> --- Anil Patel <[hidden email]
>>>>>>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I planning to participate in this developer conference. I am
>>>>>>>>>> interested in
>>>>>>>>>> contributing towards making Order Entry process more flexible. If
>>>>>>>>>> there are
>>>>>>>>>> Others who will be interested we can start some ground work. I
>>>>>>>>>> request one
>>>>>>>>>> of the commiters who has interest in this to Please lead this
>>>>>>>> effort.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The anonymous checkout process in Ecommerce component provides
>>>>>>>> some
>>>>>>>>>> high
>>>>>>>>>> level guiding principals. Few things that I can think of are
>>>>>>>>>> 1) moving some code that's embedded in Java classes into small
>>>>>>>> simple
>>>>>>>>>> methods.
>>>>>>>>>> 2) Moving process control logic from event handlers to Controller
>>>>>>>>>> file.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Any Ideas
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>>>>> Anil Patel
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 1/16/07, David E. Jones <[hidden email]
>>>>>>>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> NOTE: I'm just sending this to the dev list as this event is
>>>>>>>> meant
>>>>>>>>>>> mainly for those who want to be involved with development of
>>>>>>>> OFBiz
>>>>>>>>>>> itself. There will be a variety of projects going on and we hope
>>>>>>>>>>> everyone will be able to work on both paid and fun stuff, but the
>>>>>>>>>>> results will all be going right back into OFBiz. Still, everyone
>>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>>>>>> welcome to attend and join the "party" so if you know of someone
>>>>>>>>>> who
>>>>>>>>>>> might be interested but isn't subscribed to the dev mailing list,
>>>>>>>>>>> please forward it on to them.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> NOTE2: While most of this conference will be centered around
>>>>>>>>>>> development, if you aren't a developer it doesn't mean you can't
>>>>>>>>>>> come. It would be great to have, for example, people like
>>>>>>>> business
>>>>>>>>>>> analysts and technical writers to help with requirements, design,
>>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>>>> documentation and such would be great!
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Included below is the original email about this, and most of the
>>>>>>>>>>> information there is still applicable. Here are a few decisions,
>>>>>>>>>>> based on feedback:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 1. the conference dates will be 5-9 March 2007 (Monday - Friday),
>>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>>>> may spill over into Sat the 10th
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 2. you don't have to come for the entire conference, but we
>>>>>>>>>> recommend
>>>>>>>>>>> coming for at least Mon-Wed or Wed-Fri as we'll schedule
>>>>>>>> big-group
>>>>>>>>>>> meetings and any presentations for Wednesday; if you can come for
>>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>>> whole week, please do, it'll be great!
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 3. people are welcome to come and enjoy local attractions for the
>>>>>>>>>>> weekend before and/or after (it will still be cool in the area
>>>>>>>>>> here,
>>>>>>>>>>> snowy in the mountains for skiing/boarding/snowmobiling, and
>>>>>>>>>>> depending on weather it can be a great time for visiting the
>>>>>>>>>> deserts
>>>>>>>>>>> and canyons south of here)
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 4. the cost to cover the meeting rooms, snacks, infra stuff, etc
>>>>>>>>>> will
>>>>>>>>>>> be $175 for the week (or $35/day) per person; we will have
>>>>>>>> wireless
>>>>>>>>>>> internet access, and I have a bridge if anyone needs wired
>>>>>>>> access;
>>>>>>>>>> we
>>>>>>>>>>> will have at least 2 projectors and perhaps other large monitors
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>>> facilitate group development and discussion
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 5. meals, lodging, etc are not included in the main price, but
>>>>>>>>>> we'll
>>>>>>>>>>> have 5-9 rooms available in the building (for $20-30 per night,
>>>>>>>>>> first
>>>>>>>>>>> come first serve); there is a decent hotel in town as well for
>>>>>>>>>> around
>>>>>>>>>>> $80 per night (contact me for details); for meals there are
>>>>>>>> various
>>>>>>>>>>> restaurants within walking distance
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 6. the attendance cap is initially 20 people; there seems to be a
>>>>>>>>>> lot
>>>>>>>>>>> of interest in this, so if we go over that we'll raise it by
>>>>>>>>>> perhaps
>>>>>>>>>>> 5-10 more people and convert some other adjacent rooms in the
>>>>>>>>>>> building to be for group meeting use as well (we're planning on 2
>>>>>>>>>> big
>>>>>>>>>>> rooms, plus a fairly big room with a small kitchen in it)
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 7. the actual development goals are not finalized, but there is
>>>>>>>>>> quite
>>>>>>>>>>> a bit of interest in various things on the original list I
>>>>>>>> included
>>>>>>>>>>> (below), the big things seem to be testing infrastructure and
>>>>>>>>>> project
>>>>>>>>>>> management functionality
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> To register (ASAP please, to make my job of planning easier!),
>>>>>>>>>> please
>>>>>>>>>>> contact me by email ([hidden email]
>>>>>>>>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>) with the following
>>>>>>>>>>> information:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 1. your name, company name, contact info (phone, email if
>>>>>>>> different
>>>>>>>>>>> than from address)
>>>>>>>>>>> 2. how many in your group (if more than one, their names too)
>>>>>>>>>>> 3. plans (as much as known) for how many days and which days
>>>>>>>>>>> 4. lodging preference - in the building (private rooms, shared
>>>>>>>>>>> toilets/showers) how many rooms, or nearby hotel (I'll respond
>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>>>>> contact info for the nice place close by, or there is a "fleabag"
>>>>>>>>>>> motel place too though not sure if I'd recommend it)
>>>>>>>>>>> 5. snack/diet preferences
>>>>>>>>>>> 6. local travel plans: do you need a ride, or do you plan to
>>>>>>>> rent/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> === message truncated ===
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Daniel
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-
>>>>>> Have a GREAT Day!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Daniel Kunkel           [hidden email]
>>>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>
>>>>>> BioWaves, LLC           http://www.BioWaves.com
>>>>>> 14150 NE 20th St. Suite F1
>>>>>> Bellevue, WA 98007
>>>>>> 800-734-3588    425-895-0050
>>>>>> http://www.Apartment-Pets.com  http://www.Illusion-Optical.com
>>>>>> http://www.Card-Offer.com      http://www.RackWine.com
>>>>>> http://www.JokesBlonde.com     http://www.Brain-Fun.com
>>>>>> *-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>
>

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Tim Ruppert
+1

On Jan 26, 2007, at 11:15 AM, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:

Tim,

Glad to be of help. :)

Frankly, I believe that the rate at which patches are processed/audited/committed has a lot to do with us non-committers (or simply interested parties) testing and reviewing those patches.

A common cry on JIRA: "Will somebody test this patch please? Gonna commit inside of 48 hours."

Jonathon

Tim Ruppert wrote:
Jonathon - I'm sure that you may be able to process patches VERY quickly - and that my friend, is a totally invaluable resource to have going on.  I mean please do more of them and report your findings, so that the project can move forward even more quickly.  It doesn't take a committer role to be actively involved in this. You may in fact grow into a role of a committer if you continue with the project and are able to help push the project forward as much as you appear to be motivated to do.  Thanks for being here - and keep up the JIRA testing - it means A LOT to all of us.
Cheers,
Tim
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media
o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595
On Jan 26, 2007, at 10:00 AM, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:
Tim,

For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I am confident that I can process patches to my own sandbox faster than the OFBiz committers can process patches to OFBiz.

Maybe it's because I am becoming an OFBiz addict that I work on it tirelessly and relentlessly? I don't know.

And also, for some reason that escapes me, my commits seem to be more tested and less unsettling than some of OFBiz's.

Maybe it's because I don't have 10 paying clients to serve at once.

Or maybe I do understand the OFBiz framework enough to be able to do a "OFBiz-wide grep or other scan" in order to check whether my patches break stuff. Sort of like what a good IDE will do, probably. But I'm always stone-age, stick to simple tools (with good mind map).

There's still this need to put together stable audited releases. I'm sort of doing that with my personal "sandbox" on my harddisk.

I can't guarantee I can do the same if I'm a committer in OFBiz myself.

Jonathon

Tim Ruppert wrote:
I know this sounds overly simplified, but someone please explain to me why this doesn't work:
1. Someone - let's say Chris has a great idea for a new project
2. He creates a JIRA issue describing it
3. He attaches an initial patch
4. Someone else - let's say Daniel decides that he wants to contribute to this effort and downloads the patch
5. He makes some improvements, so he updates the existing patch as well as adds another patch containing additional data
6. Chris downloads it and makes some mods and reposts.
Now, to me this doesn't seem that crazy - and is totally legal.  And . . . just so you know - replace Chris with Tim and Daniel with either Anil or Ashish and you have EXACTLY what happened with the anonymous checkout process!
This shouldn't be this hard guys.  My suggestion would be to TRY one of these in this format and if you can't do it this way - THEN let's try and address it.  A separately maintained sandbox is absolutely no different  than managing patches - since both have to deal with integration back into the OFBiz trunk in some form or fashion.  Personally, I think the patches will be EASIER to maintain because they will allow you to make changes to existing code in an easier, more trackable format.  The alternative would be for you to maintain a sandbox - AND patches for updates to the source - doesn't that sound MORE tedious?
Anyways, thanks for listening to my ramble.
Cheers,
Tim
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media
o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595
On Jan 26, 2007, at 3:04 AM, Daniel Kunkel wrote:
Hi

First, please understand I hold you in incredibly high regard, and
apologize for causing any frustration...  You and Andy have created an
amazing software tool that I'm basing my business on, and you've given
it away. I love that! As you can see, your efforts are now multiplying
in to a system that has a life of its own, which will eventually change
the face of many businesses throughout the world. During this process, you've needed to exercise great control in choosing
what to allow into the project, and what to reject. Since I often update
my production system to the svn head, I'm very glad someone is there
watching, and if you think about it, it makes sense that access has been
very limited to just the professionals that have devoted themselves to
the project.

However, as it grows, there are more and more newbies that want to help
in their little way. Many *non-committers* who have wanted to give back
to the project have been stifled and frustrated, often because their
contributions were not appropriate, but sometimes simply because the
committers are too busy to review/test/correct their contributions. In
other cases, the resultant solutions are too specific to just their
business, or as a employee, the business although willing to donate the
code back, was not willing to devote the time needed to make the
consumable by the project at large. So, what can we do to create a space where non-committers can share
their bits with the community? Please understand, we are agreed that
neither of us would want their contributions running on a system.

- The source forge sandbox isn't really a good fit, because, as Chris
has researched, the legal ramifications of donating it back to the
project outweigh the benefits begotten from the group effort.

- Forcing developers to work alone isn't working very well.

- A sandbox with lots of committers isn't going to work. Thanks for
explaining that in your e-mail, I didn't realize this wasn't workable
till now.

- Jira isn't working. - The wiki could possibly work, but it doesn't go through the legal
process with each submission, and I cringe even thinking of trying to
work with code in wiki. Eek.

- Even using the wiki, to catalog which jira issues are "in play" is
unwieldy. Patch nightmare actually.

David, can you think of way to make a space in this community where the
new/non-polished committers can easily share and play together with
their ideas where they won't hurt the bigger project until the
components are well proven?

Would it work to have a sandbox that is managed by the existing
committers, or perhaps a few new committers? As a committer, you
wouldn't need to give nearly the same amount of time and attention to
trying to make sure the commitment met best practices, free of bugs,
etc. Any developer could share their stuff that they've implemented for
their business, or other neat components. And, since the commitments
would be in svn on the other side of the "Donate to the Apache
Foundation legal radio button, it'd be easy for these developers to
collaborate and slowly bring unworkable buggy messes into gold. Finally,
users could easily find and try the components without mucking with
patch files, etc.

Thanks

Daniel

On Fri, 2007-01-26 at 00:45 -0700, David E. Jones wrote:
Okay, I just wrote a huge thing and deleted it. There might have been  good stuff in there, but I am really frustrated because I've said it  all before and based on the comments from Chris it doesn't seem like  anything it making it out there.

If you're not a lawyer, then reference documents and processes  already established.

I'm not even going to bother going into detail unless people are  willing to:

1. describe their understanding of how what they want to do would be  done under current policy
2. describe why that doesn't work for what you want to do
3. describe how the existing processes need to changed in order to  accommodate it

A sandbox is a BAD BAD BAD BAD IDEA. Like you mentioned Daniel it  would create a huge mess. I'm afraid one of two things would happen:

1. nothing
2. a lot

In the case of number 1 it's not worth the effort to set it up. In  the case of #2 it would required more effort to administer and  monitor than we have resources for in OFBiz. There is no way I'd even  think about doing this under the ASF umbrella because I am not  willing to take on the responsibility of vetting a large number of  committers and recommending them as committers in the ASF, which is  BIG DEAL, and a responsibility and some people seem to be forgetting  that.

If you want to be a committer you have to help with the project. You  have to take ownership of it, defend it, be committed to it, and so  on. Okay, now I'm doing what I was in the 2 page email I just deleted  and I'm stopping.

If you want to know more about becoming and being a committer and  about contributing to OFBiz, READ THE DARN DOCUMENTS!

I don't know WHY these questions are coming up here. Stop asking  them. Read the documents. I won't be baited into this any more. It's  a waste of time, and all based on supposition and not any real  problems or issues as far as I can see.

If you develop something outside of OFBiz and want to contribute it,  here is the page describing how it works:


This is basically a streamlined incubation process for code going  into existing projects.

If you really want to help and be involved in the project it means  working on OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF, NOT YOUR OWN! Yes, it makes it  easier to get your own stuff in but if that is all you're about  related to the project, then being a committer isn't for you.
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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

David E Jones
In reply to this post by jonwimp

On Jan 26, 2007, at 11:15 AM, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:

> A common cry on JIRA: "Will somebody test this patch please? Gonna  
> commit inside of 48 hours."

Hopefully in the future we'll have people testing things before a  
committer looks at it. On a similar note, hopefully you won't see any  
more messages like the above. It's a bad practice that is hopefully  
now corrected among the committers. In short a committer should not  
commit anything if they don't know what the impact of it is and  
hasn't at least done a sanity check and code review on it.

Of course, even if a committer does a thorough review it is possible  
to miss stuff, things are just complicated that way and certain parts  
of OFBiz are still very poorly implemented and brittle, so any review  
and testing of patches or the project in general is always helpful!  
This is especially true for people testing it against real-world  
requirements and business scenarios because they'll can't things that  
no automated test can, and because it will bring up issues that  
others may not have even realized were issues.

-David


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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

David E Jones
In reply to this post by jonwimp

On Jan 26, 2007, at 11:15 AM, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:

> Frankly, I believe that the rate at which patches are processed/
> audited/committed has a lot to do with us non-committers (or simply  
> interested parties) testing and reviewing those patches.

A big problem here is that we as a PMC are way behind on adding new  
committers. This is mostly because with the recent work load of  
finalizing incubation, graduating, and migrating to the new  
infrastructure has soaked up most of the PMC free time in the last  
couple of months (along with the oft-lamented excess of  
contracts... ;) ).

In any case, we HAVE been working on this and selected half a dozen  
people we'd like to invite as committers about two months ago. We  
should be getting to this soon, and hopefully that will help solve  
the problem of the issue back log.

Still, invited as committers or not we still always need help  
reviewing and testing patches and offering feedback. This is  
EXTREMELY helpful!

-David


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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Jacques Le Roux
Administrator
In reply to this post by cjhowe
Chris,

I noticed one point in your mail.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Howe" <[hidden email]>
<snip>
> OFBiz itself did not clear the IP hurdle.  
</snip>

Can you elaborate please ?

Thank you

Jacques

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Jacopo Cappellato
In reply to this post by jonwimp
Jonathon -- Improov wrote:

> Tim,
>
> For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I am confident that I
> can process patches to my own sandbox faster than the OFBiz committers
> can process patches to OFBiz.
>
> Maybe it's because I am becoming an OFBiz addict that I work on it
> tirelessly and relentlessly? I don't know.
>
> And also, for some reason that escapes me, my commits seem to be more
> tested and less unsettling than some of OFBiz's.
>
> Maybe it's because I don't have 10 paying clients to serve at once.

Indeed very amusing...

Jacopo

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Tim Ruppert
In reply to this post by cjhowe
Comments inline - lemme preface this with the fact that these are my thoughts, I'll support whatever we can do to help people be more active, but I don't have time to deliberate this over email for too much longer . . . I hope everyone understands

On Jan 26, 2007, at 10:02 AM, Chris Howe wrote:

Tim, 

If Anil and Ashish wrote anything in OFBIZ-510, then that's not
_exactly how anon checkout was created.  By quick glance, of the 61
messages containing the words OFBIZ-510 in them, you were the only one
who attached a patch, Anil and Ashish did not.  You three may have
passed patches amongst yourselves outside of the JIRA issue.  My
understanding is this constitutes collaboration and therefore the asset
you created is owned by the informal partnership between you three, not
one individual and not the ASF.


I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.  There's no fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but that's truly not what this discussion should be about.

In regards to the patches vs SVN argument, I am not following your
logic at all.  SVN is a tool to manage patches.  That's what it is,
that's what it does.  How could individual patches be easier to
maintain than the tool that is designed to do that maintenance? Are you
talking about the collaboration part or just the part to merge back
into OFBiz?

The point that I obviously didn't articulate very clearly is this :

1. There already is an SVN for managing the OFBiz
2. You will have to manage mods to the trunk in patches regardless - unless you'd want to go with some vendor branch scheme, which in my experience is WAY more trouble than it's worth.
3. Why can't you play on your own box like the rest of us - and only submit (or commit) when you have something to say that you want reviewed or to be shared?


A liberal sub-project SVN does not require patches be attached to a
JIRA issue until it's at a point to be contributed back into the major
work.  The collaborator simply commits his change.  That's what a
sandbox is for, to play in.  Unlike OFBiz itself, no one should expect
that the sandbox work.  At the time when it does work and it is
necessary to merge those changes back into the parent project, it will
require a single patch. Which because of the way OFBiz is set up, is
fairly small work.  That patch should have most bugs worked out and
testing is small work.


Chris, know that I feel you here, but why don't we just try this and see how it goes?  If you end up having a huge following for these types of things, then I'll be the first person backing you and doing the leg work to put more infrastructure in place will be most beneficial.

Cheers,
Tim

--- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:

I know this sounds overly simplified, but someone please explain to  
me why this doesn't work:

1. Someone - let's say Chris has a great idea for a new project
2. He creates a JIRA issue describing it
3. He attaches an initial patch
4. Someone else - let's say Daniel decides that he wants to  
contribute to this effort and downloads the patch
5. He makes some improvements, so he updates the existing patch as  
well as adds another patch containing additional data
6. Chris downloads it and makes some mods and reposts.

Now, to me this doesn't seem that crazy - and is totally legal.   
And . . . just so you know - replace Chris with Tim and Daniel with  
either Anil or Ashish and you have EXACTLY what happened with the  
anonymous checkout process!

This shouldn't be this hard guys.  My suggestion would be to TRY one 

of these in this format and if you can't do it this way - THEN let's 

try and address it.  A separately maintained sandbox is absolutely no

different  than managing patches - since both have to deal with  
integration back into the OFBiz trunk in some form or fashion.

Personally, I think the patches will be EASIER to maintain because  
they will allow you to make changes to existing code in an easier,  
more trackable format.  The alternative would be for you to maintain 

a sandbox - AND patches for updates to the source - doesn't that  
sound MORE tedious?

Anyways, thanks for listening to my ramble.

Cheers,
Tim
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media

o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595

On Jan 26, 2007, at 3:04 AM, Daniel Kunkel wrote:

Hi

First, please understand I hold you in incredibly high regard, and
apologize for causing any frustration...  You and Andy have created
an
amazing software tool that I'm basing my business on, and you've
given
it away. I love that! As you can see, your efforts are now
multiplying
in to a system that has a life of its own, which will eventually  
change
the face of many businesses throughout the world.

During this process, you've needed to exercise great control in  
choosing
what to allow into the project, and what to reject. Since I often  
update
my production system to the svn head, I'm very glad someone is
there
watching, and if you think about it, it makes sense that access has

been
very limited to just the professionals that have devoted themselves
to
the project.

However, as it grows, there are more and more newbies that want to 

help
in their little way. Many *non-committers* who have wanted to give 

back
to the project have been stifled and frustrated, often because
their
contributions were not appropriate, but sometimes simply because
the
committers are too busy to review/test/correct their contributions.
In
other cases, the resultant solutions are too specific to just their
business, or as a employee, the business although willing to donate

the
code back, was not willing to devote the time needed to make the
consumable by the project at large.

So, what can we do to create a space where non-committers can share
their bits with the community? Please understand, we are agreed
that
neither of us would want their contributions running on a system.

- The source forge sandbox isn't really a good fit, because, as
Chris
has researched, the legal ramifications of donating it back to the
project outweigh the benefits begotten from the group effort.

- Forcing developers to work alone isn't working very well.

- A sandbox with lots of committers isn't going to work. Thanks for
explaining that in your e-mail, I didn't realize this wasn't
workable
till now.

- Jira isn't working.

- The wiki could possibly work, but it doesn't go through the legal
process with each submission, and I cringe even thinking of trying
to
work with code in wiki. Eek.

- Even using the wiki, to catalog which jira issues are "in play"
is
unwieldy. Patch nightmare actually.

David, can you think of way to make a space in this community where

the
new/non-polished committers can easily share and play together with
their ideas where they won't hurt the bigger project until the
components are well proven?

Would it work to have a sandbox that is managed by the existing
committers, or perhaps a few new committers? As a committer, you
wouldn't need to give nearly the same amount of time and attention
to
trying to make sure the commitment met best practices, free of
bugs,
etc. Any developer could share their stuff that they've implemented

for
their business, or other neat components. And, since the
commitments
would be in svn on the other side of the "Donate to the Apache
Foundation legal radio button, it'd be easy for these developers to
collaborate and slowly bring unworkable buggy messes into gold.  
Finally,
users could easily find and try the components without mucking with
patch files, etc.

Thanks

Daniel

On Fri, 2007-01-26 at 00:45 -0700, David E. Jones wrote:
Okay, I just wrote a huge thing and deleted it. There might have
been
good stuff in there, but I am really frustrated because I've said
it
all before and based on the comments from Chris it doesn't seem
like
anything it making it out there.

If you're not a lawyer, then reference documents and processes
already established.

I'm not even going to bother going into detail unless people are
willing to:

1. describe their understanding of how what they want to do would
be
done under current policy
2. describe why that doesn't work for what you want to do
3. describe how the existing processes need to changed in order to
accommodate it

A sandbox is a BAD BAD BAD BAD IDEA. Like you mentioned Daniel it
would create a huge mess. I'm afraid one of two things would
happen:

1. nothing
2. a lot

In the case of number 1 it's not worth the effort to set it up. In
the case of #2 it would required more effort to administer and
monitor than we have resources for in OFBiz. There is no way I'd
even
think about doing this under the ASF umbrella because I am not
willing to take on the responsibility of vetting a large number of
committers and recommending them as committers in the ASF, which
is
BIG DEAL, and a responsibility and some people seem to be
forgetting
that.

If you want to be a committer you have to help with the project.
You
have to take ownership of it, defend it, be committed to it, and
so
on. Okay, now I'm doing what I was in the 2 page email I just
deleted
and I'm stopping.

If you want to know more about becoming and being a committer and
about contributing to OFBiz, READ THE DARN DOCUMENTS!


=== message truncated ===



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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

cjhowe

--- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
<snip>
>
> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.  There's no
>  
> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but  
> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
>
<snip>

You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT legal
concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of background
information I provided David in my reply, I'll take a quote from a
section of http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241478.html

'According to the Copyright Act, the authors of a joint work jointly
own the copyright in the work they create. A joint work is defined in
Section 101 of the Copyright Act as "a work prepared by two or more
authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole."'

"When the copyright in a work is jointly owned, each joint owner can
use or license the work in the United States without the consent of the
other owner, provided that the use does not destroy the value of the
work and the parties do not have an agreement requiring the consent of
each owner for use or licensing. A joint owner who licenses a work must
share any royalties he or she receives with the other owners."

If this doesn't sound like what you did with Anil and Ashish, read it
again.  If it doesn't sound dangerous, read it again and then _again
and then consider whether releasing something as "open source" destroys
the value of the work.   It does, there is no doubt about it.  Since a
joint owner who license a work must share any royalties he or she
receives with the other owners, guess what, the owners must share the
liability that a joint owner creates regarding that work.  

A _fancy partnership would spell out who and how the joint work can be
distributed and be agreed to in writing and the extent to which the
other joint owners can accept liability on behalf of the class of joint
owners.  The _fancy partnership would protect us all.

> 1. There already is an SVN for managing the OFBiz
Yes, and IMO the only things that should go into that project are
tested contributions that can hopefully be the basis of what someone
can run their business off of.  Half tested, half implemented ideas
should be in a sandbox SVN so that the community can get them ready for
the parent project.

> 2. You will have to manage mods to the trunk in patches regardless -
>
> unless you'd want to go with some vendor branch scheme, which in my  
> experience is WAY more trouble than it's worth.

The sandbox isn't suggesting a branch or a branch structure, so there's
no trouble.  Since the two options are neutral in comparrison in how
they get re assimilated into OFBiz, we should only concern ourselves in
the easiest manner to incorporate the contribution into the teams
(using someone else's word).  That is SVN by a long shot over JIRA
patches.

> 3. Why can't you play on your own box like the rest of us - and only
>
> submit (or commit) when you have something to say that you want  
> reviewed or to be shared?

That is the whole point of the discussion, no one is playing on their
own box.  You, Anil and Ashish aren't, the ofbiz-sandbox project on
sourceforge would not be and the proposed platform of the developers
conference will not be.  

Currently, the only _safe manner for a non committer to collaborate on
his own box is to

download from Apache Ofbiz,
upload to JIRA,
have your collaborator download from JIRA,
make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
revisions
make changes
then upload to JIRA,
you download from JIRA,
make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
revisions
and so on...

Committers only have the additional benefit of using labs.apache.org or
trunk instead of patches.  This limits their possible collaborators to
other committers.

> Chris, know that I feel you here, but why don't we just try this and
>
> see how it goes?  If you end up having a huge following for these  
> types of things, then I'll be the first person backing you and doing
>
> the leg work to put more infrastructure in place will be most  
> beneficial.

I've been trying it in the manner suggested by David in my spare time
for the past two years.  Other's aren't so patient and have simply
moved on.  And yes, it does work somewhat, but it could work a lot
better and without us having to cross our fingers, hoping no one tries
to sabotage the project.  

Depending on your definition of "huge" it already exists. (this also
answers someone's question earlier on who the groups were)
1. Those wanting to develop google checkout
  has code, but has been lost because Phani apparently has since
stopped monitoring the mailing lists.
2. Those wanting more modularization between the components
  has code, not sure where to contribute it because of the legal
scenario
3. The upcoming developer's "hackathon"
  will undoubtedly have code and will be contributed in a manner that
is subject to all the questions I have been asking.
4. Those wanting to refactor the create order process
  has code, been contributed to JIRA, though because it's a patch will
only attract those that are _really committed to the topic and not
those that have a passing interest.
5. Jonathon's rag tag team
  Jonathon claims it has lots of code
6. Anil and Ashish's asset management that's utilizing
code.google.com/hosting
  has 54 revisions, I don't know Anil's and Ashish's relationship, but
it would appear that it will need to answer the same legal questions
I've been asking to make it back into the project.
7. I understand Daniel K is wanting to collaborate on something
  I think he's wanting to learn by doing, but I don't know specifically
what he has in mind at this point.
8. Those that responded they wanted to help get Asterisk PBX
integration
  Code in SVN.  Has functionality but could blow the socks off of
someone with some collaborative work
9. Those wanting to refactor PartyRelationship
  has code, at the moment has gotten too specific to be beneficial to
the community
10. Those wanting to collaborate on Business Intelligence
  there's a writeup on docs.ofbiz.org on how to kind of integrate openi
with ofbiz.  Someone contributed a bit of code, I believe to the ML.
And Si Chen had made mention of completing some OLAP cubes based on the
openi writeup

These are just the instances I can think of off the top of my head.
There's my huge following, so where's your backing?

Regards,
Chris
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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

jonwimp
David (Jones), Tim, Chris,

Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But Chris often has a way of
spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a particular angle now. Though I'm also
often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if I feel scared/concerned about
some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.

I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please note those words between **.

"When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the value of the
work* ..."

I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the open sourced codes can be packed
into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).

How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN shared between a few friends) without
damaging that license?

"According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."

What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
team become a partnership?

I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know? Thanks.

Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already know all that.

Jonathon

Chris Howe wrote:

> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
> <snip>
>> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.  There's no
>>  
>> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but  
>> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
>>
> <snip>
>
> You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
> present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
> created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT legal
> concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of background
> information I provided David in my reply, I'll take a quote from a
> section of http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241478.html
>
> 'According to the Copyright Act, the authors of a joint work jointly
> own the copyright in the work they create. A joint work is defined in
> Section 101 of the Copyright Act as "a work prepared by two or more
> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole."'
>
> "When the copyright in a work is jointly owned, each joint owner can
> use or license the work in the United States without the consent of the
> other owner, provided that the use does not destroy the value of the
> work and the parties do not have an agreement requiring the consent of
> each owner for use or licensing. A joint owner who licenses a work must
> share any royalties he or she receives with the other owners."
>
> If this doesn't sound like what you did with Anil and Ashish, read it
> again.  If it doesn't sound dangerous, read it again and then _again
> and then consider whether releasing something as "open source" destroys
> the value of the work.   It does, there is no doubt about it.  Since a
> joint owner who license a work must share any royalties he or she
> receives with the other owners, guess what, the owners must share the
> liability that a joint owner creates regarding that work.  
>
> A _fancy partnership would spell out who and how the joint work can be
> distributed and be agreed to in writing and the extent to which the
> other joint owners can accept liability on behalf of the class of joint
> owners.  The _fancy partnership would protect us all.
>
>> 1. There already is an SVN for managing the OFBiz
> Yes, and IMO the only things that should go into that project are
> tested contributions that can hopefully be the basis of what someone
> can run their business off of.  Half tested, half implemented ideas
> should be in a sandbox SVN so that the community can get them ready for
> the parent project.
>
>> 2. You will have to manage mods to the trunk in patches regardless -
>>
>> unless you'd want to go with some vendor branch scheme, which in my  
>> experience is WAY more trouble than it's worth.
>
> The sandbox isn't suggesting a branch or a branch structure, so there's
> no trouble.  Since the two options are neutral in comparrison in how
> they get re assimilated into OFBiz, we should only concern ourselves in
> the easiest manner to incorporate the contribution into the teams
> (using someone else's word).  That is SVN by a long shot over JIRA
> patches.
>
>> 3. Why can't you play on your own box like the rest of us - and only
>>
>> submit (or commit) when you have something to say that you want  
>> reviewed or to be shared?
>
> That is the whole point of the discussion, no one is playing on their
> own box.  You, Anil and Ashish aren't, the ofbiz-sandbox project on
> sourceforge would not be and the proposed platform of the developers
> conference will not be.  
>
> Currently, the only _safe manner for a non committer to collaborate on
> his own box is to
>
> download from Apache Ofbiz,
> upload to JIRA,
> have your collaborator download from JIRA,
> make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
> revisions
> make changes
> then upload to JIRA,
> you download from JIRA,
> make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
> revisions
> and so on...
>
> Committers only have the additional benefit of using labs.apache.org or
> trunk instead of patches.  This limits their possible collaborators to
> other committers.
>
>> Chris, know that I feel you here, but why don't we just try this and
>>
>> see how it goes?  If you end up having a huge following for these  
>> types of things, then I'll be the first person backing you and doing
>>
>> the leg work to put more infrastructure in place will be most  
>> beneficial.
>
> I've been trying it in the manner suggested by David in my spare time
> for the past two years.  Other's aren't so patient and have simply
> moved on.  And yes, it does work somewhat, but it could work a lot
> better and without us having to cross our fingers, hoping no one tries
> to sabotage the project.  
>
> Depending on your definition of "huge" it already exists. (this also
> answers someone's question earlier on who the groups were)
> 1. Those wanting to develop google checkout
>   has code, but has been lost because Phani apparently has since
> stopped monitoring the mailing lists.
> 2. Those wanting more modularization between the components
>   has code, not sure where to contribute it because of the legal
> scenario
> 3. The upcoming developer's "hackathon"
>   will undoubtedly have code and will be contributed in a manner that
> is subject to all the questions I have been asking.
> 4. Those wanting to refactor the create order process
>   has code, been contributed to JIRA, though because it's a patch will
> only attract those that are _really committed to the topic and not
> those that have a passing interest.
> 5. Jonathon's rag tag team
>   Jonathon claims it has lots of code
> 6. Anil and Ashish's asset management that's utilizing
> code.google.com/hosting
>   has 54 revisions, I don't know Anil's and Ashish's relationship, but
> it would appear that it will need to answer the same legal questions
> I've been asking to make it back into the project.
> 7. I understand Daniel K is wanting to collaborate on something
>   I think he's wanting to learn by doing, but I don't know specifically
> what he has in mind at this point.
> 8. Those that responded they wanted to help get Asterisk PBX
> integration
>   Code in SVN.  Has functionality but could blow the socks off of
> someone with some collaborative work
> 9. Those wanting to refactor PartyRelationship
>   has code, at the moment has gotten too specific to be beneficial to
> the community
> 10. Those wanting to collaborate on Business Intelligence
>   there's a writeup on docs.ofbiz.org on how to kind of integrate openi
> with ofbiz.  Someone contributed a bit of code, I believe to the ML.
> And Si Chen had made mention of completing some OLAP cubes based on the
> openi writeup
>
> These are just the instances I can think of off the top of my head.
> There's my huge following, so where's your backing?
>
> Regards,
> Chris
>
>

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

cjhowe
IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been trying
to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone wants
to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's fun
being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
homeless.  

I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.  I
think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier to
follow.  But again IANAL.
Comments inline.


--- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:

> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
>
> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
> Chris often has a way of
> spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a particular
> angle now. Though I'm also
> often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if I
> feel scared/concerned about
> some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.
>
> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please note
> those words between **.
>
> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
> value of the
> work* ..."
>
> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
> open sourced codes can be packed
> into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).
>

AFAIK, correct.

> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN shared
> between a few friends) without
> damaging that license?
>

The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't believe
a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without greatly
diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of their
main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who points a
browser or other client software in their direction.

> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
>
> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
> of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
> team become a partnership?

No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license agreement.
Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to anyone
who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of OFBiz
as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to the
ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with the
ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders in
the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed under
Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
(you) of a joint work.

The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your "patch"
is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint owner
can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties and
don't diminish its value.  

Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it under
Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and now
you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the other
joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to other
people.  Not a pretty pickle.

Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?



On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder cannot
waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted. Although
then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get scary as
the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
heirs/debtors upon death.


>
> I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
> Thanks.
>
> Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already know
> all that.
>
> Jonathon
>
> Chris Howe wrote:
> > --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > <snip>
> >> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.  There's
> no
> >>  
> >> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but  
> >> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
> >>
> > <snip>
> >
> > You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
> > present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
> > created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT legal
> > concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of background
> > information I provided David in my reply, I'll take a quote from a
> > section of http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241478.html
> >
> > 'According to the Copyright Act, the authors of a joint work
> jointly
> > own the copyright in the work they create. A joint work is defined
> in
> > Section 101 of the Copyright Act as "a work prepared by two or more
> > authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
> > inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole."'
> >
> > "When the copyright in a work is jointly owned, each joint owner
> can
> > use or license the work in the United States without the consent of
> the
> > other owner, provided that the use does not destroy the value of
> the
> > work and the parties do not have an agreement requiring the consent
> of
> > each owner for use or licensing. A joint owner who licenses a work
> must
> > share any royalties he or she receives with the other owners."
> >
> > If this doesn't sound like what you did with Anil and Ashish, read
> it
> > again.  If it doesn't sound dangerous, read it again and then
> _again
> > and then consider whether releasing something as "open source"
> destroys
> > the value of the work.   It does, there is no doubt about it.
> Since a
> > joint owner who license a work must share any royalties he or she
> > receives with the other owners, guess what, the owners must share
> the
> > liability that a joint owner creates regarding that work.  
> >
> > A _fancy partnership would spell out who and how the joint work can
> be
> > distributed and be agreed to in writing and the extent to which the
> > other joint owners can accept liability on behalf of the class of
> joint
> > owners.  The _fancy partnership would protect us all.
> >
> >> 1. There already is an SVN for managing the OFBiz
> > Yes, and IMO the only things that should go into that project are
> > tested contributions that can hopefully be the basis of what
> someone
> > can run their business off of.  Half tested, half implemented ideas
> > should be in a sandbox SVN so that the community can get them ready
> for
> > the parent project.
> >
> >> 2. You will have to manage mods to the trunk in patches regardless
> -
> >>
> >> unless you'd want to go with some vendor branch scheme, which in
> my  
> >> experience is WAY more trouble than it's worth.
> >
> > The sandbox isn't suggesting a branch or a branch structure, so
> there's
> > no trouble.  Since the two options are neutral in comparrison in
> how
> > they get re assimilated into OFBiz, we should only concern
> ourselves in
> > the easiest manner to incorporate the contribution into the teams
> > (using someone else's word).  That is SVN by a long shot over JIRA
> > patches.
> >
> >> 3. Why can't you play on your own box like the rest of us - and
> only
> >>
> >> submit (or commit) when you have something to say that you want  
> >> reviewed or to be shared?
> >
> > That is the whole point of the discussion, no one is playing on
> their
> > own box.  You, Anil and Ashish aren't, the ofbiz-sandbox project on
> > sourceforge would not be and the proposed platform of the
> developers
> > conference will not be.  
> >
> > Currently, the only _safe manner for a non committer to collaborate
> on
> > his own box is to
> >
> > download from Apache Ofbiz,
> > upload to JIRA,
> > have your collaborator download from JIRA,
> > make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
> > revisions
> > make changes
> > then upload to JIRA,
> > you download from JIRA,
> > make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
> > revisions
> > and so on...
> >
> > Committers only have the additional benefit of using
> labs.apache.org or
> > trunk instead of patches.  This limits their possible collaborators
> to
> > other committers.
> >
> >> Chris, know that I feel you here, but why don't we just try this
> and
> >>
> >> see how it goes?  If you end up having a huge following for these
>
> >> types of things, then I'll be the first person backing you and
> doing
> >>
> >> the leg work to put more infrastructure in place will be most  
> >> beneficial.
> >
> > I've been trying it in the manner suggested by David in my spare
> time
> > for the past two years.  Other's aren't so patient and have simply
> > moved on.  And yes, it does work somewhat, but it could work a lot
> > better and without us having to cross our fingers, hoping no one
> tries
> > to sabotage the project.  
> >
> > Depending on your definition of "huge" it already exists. (this
> also
> > answers someone's question earlier on who the groups were)
> > 1. Those wanting to develop google checkout
> >   has code, but has been lost because Phani apparently has since
> > stopped monitoring the mailing lists.
> > 2. Those wanting more modularization between the components
> >   has code, not sure where to contribute it because of the legal
> > scenario
> > 3. The upcoming developer's "hackathon"
> >   will undoubtedly have code and will be contributed in a manner
> that
> > is subject to all the questions I have been asking.
> > 4. Those wanting to refactor the create order process
> >   has code, been contributed to JIRA, though because it's a patch
> will
> > only attract those that are _really committed to the topic and not
> > those that have a passing interest.
> > 5. Jonathon's rag tag team
> >   Jonathon claims it has lots of code
>
=== message truncated ===

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

jonwimp
Chris,

Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon fodder for big boys with lawyers.)

 > This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of a
 > joint work.

Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it to a committer who commits this
stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the committer are not liable.

That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put into my private sandbox are not
stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so I won't be liable for any
thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.

 > The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
 > amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under Apache
 > 2.

Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my ragtag sandbox assigns rights to
ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.

 > Not a pretty pickle.

No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing money for a living, etc. But
that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.

 > Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?

Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.

Jonathon

Chris Howe wrote:

> IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been trying
> to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone wants
> to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's fun
> being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
> commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
> homeless.  
>
> I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.  I
> think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier to
> follow.  But again IANAL.
> Comments inline.
>
>
> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
>>
>> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
>> Chris often has a way of
>> spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a particular
>> angle now. Though I'm also
>> often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if I
>> feel scared/concerned about
>> some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.
>>
>> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please note
>> those words between **.
>>
>> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
>> value of the
>> work* ..."
>>
>> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
>> open sourced codes can be packed
>> into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).
>>
>
> AFAIK, correct.
>
>> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN shared
>> between a few friends) without
>> damaging that license?
>>
>
> The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
> nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't believe
> a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without greatly
> diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
> compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of their
> main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who points a
> browser or other client software in their direction.
>
>> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
>> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
>> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
>>
>> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
>> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
>> of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
>> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
>> team become a partnership?
>
> No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license agreement.
> Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to anyone
> who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of OFBiz
> as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to the
> ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with the
> ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
> protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders in
> the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
> committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed under
> Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
> (you) of a joint work.
>
> The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your "patch"
> is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint owner
> can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties and
> don't diminish its value.  
>
> Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
> individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it under
> Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
> agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
> Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and now
> you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the other
> joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to other
> people.  Not a pretty pickle.
>
> Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>
>
>
> On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder cannot
> waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
> interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
> reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted. Although
> then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get scary as
> the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
> heirs/debtors upon death.
>
>
>> I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already know
>> all that.
>>
>> Jonathon
>>
>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>> <snip>
>>>> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.  There's
>> no
>>>>  
>>>> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but  
>>>> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
>>>>
>>> <snip>
>>>
>>> You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
>>> present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
>>> created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT legal
>>> concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of background
>>> information I provided David in my reply, I'll take a quote from a
>>> section of http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241478.html
>>>
>>> 'According to the Copyright Act, the authors of a joint work
>> jointly
>>> own the copyright in the work they create. A joint work is defined
>> in
>>> Section 101 of the Copyright Act as "a work prepared by two or more
>>> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
>>> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole."'
>>>
>>> "When the copyright in a work is jointly owned, each joint owner
>> can
>>> use or license the work in the United States without the consent of
>> the
>>> other owner, provided that the use does not destroy the value of
>> the
>>> work and the parties do not have an agreement requiring the consent
>> of
>>> each owner for use or licensing. A joint owner who licenses a work
>> must
>>> share any royalties he or she receives with the other owners."
>>>
>>> If this doesn't sound like what you did with Anil and Ashish, read
>> it
>>> again.  If it doesn't sound dangerous, read it again and then
>> _again
>>> and then consider whether releasing something as "open source"
>> destroys
>>> the value of the work.   It does, there is no doubt about it.
>> Since a
>>> joint owner who license a work must share any royalties he or she
>>> receives with the other owners, guess what, the owners must share
>> the
>>> liability that a joint owner creates regarding that work.  
>>>
>>> A _fancy partnership would spell out who and how the joint work can
>> be
>>> distributed and be agreed to in writing and the extent to which the
>>> other joint owners can accept liability on behalf of the class of
>> joint
>>> owners.  The _fancy partnership would protect us all.
>>>
>>>> 1. There already is an SVN for managing the OFBiz
>>> Yes, and IMO the only things that should go into that project are
>>> tested contributions that can hopefully be the basis of what
>> someone
>>> can run their business off of.  Half tested, half implemented ideas
>>> should be in a sandbox SVN so that the community can get them ready
>> for
>>> the parent project.
>>>
>>>> 2. You will have to manage mods to the trunk in patches regardless
>> -
>>>> unless you'd want to go with some vendor branch scheme, which in
>> my  
>>>> experience is WAY more trouble than it's worth.
>>> The sandbox isn't suggesting a branch or a branch structure, so
>> there's
>>> no trouble.  Since the two options are neutral in comparrison in
>> how
>>> they get re assimilated into OFBiz, we should only concern
>> ourselves in
>>> the easiest manner to incorporate the contribution into the teams
>>> (using someone else's word).  That is SVN by a long shot over JIRA
>>> patches.
>>>
>>>> 3. Why can't you play on your own box like the rest of us - and
>> only
>>>> submit (or commit) when you have something to say that you want  
>>>> reviewed or to be shared?
>>> That is the whole point of the discussion, no one is playing on
>> their
>>> own box.  You, Anil and Ashish aren't, the ofbiz-sandbox project on
>>> sourceforge would not be and the proposed platform of the
>> developers
>>> conference will not be.  
>>>
>>> Currently, the only _safe manner for a non committer to collaborate
>> on
>>> his own box is to
>>>
>>> download from Apache Ofbiz,
>>> upload to JIRA,
>>> have your collaborator download from JIRA,
>>> make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
>>> revisions
>>> make changes
>>> then upload to JIRA,
>>> you download from JIRA,
>>> make sure the patch works because you two may be using different
>>> revisions
>>> and so on...
>>>
>>> Committers only have the additional benefit of using
>> labs.apache.org or
>>> trunk instead of patches.  This limits their possible collaborators
>> to
>>> other committers.
>>>
>>>> Chris, know that I feel you here, but why don't we just try this
>> and
>>>> see how it goes?  If you end up having a huge following for these
>>>> types of things, then I'll be the first person backing you and
>> doing
>>>> the leg work to put more infrastructure in place will be most  
>>>> beneficial.
>>> I've been trying it in the manner suggested by David in my spare
>> time
>>> for the past two years.  Other's aren't so patient and have simply
>>> moved on.  And yes, it does work somewhat, but it could work a lot
>>> better and without us having to cross our fingers, hoping no one
>> tries
>>> to sabotage the project.  
>>>
>>> Depending on your definition of "huge" it already exists. (this
>> also
>>> answers someone's question earlier on who the groups were)
>>> 1. Those wanting to develop google checkout
>>>   has code, but has been lost because Phani apparently has since
>>> stopped monitoring the mailing lists.
>>> 2. Those wanting more modularization between the components
>>>   has code, not sure where to contribute it because of the legal
>>> scenario
>>> 3. The upcoming developer's "hackathon"
>>>   will undoubtedly have code and will be contributed in a manner
>> that
>>> is subject to all the questions I have been asking.
>>> 4. Those wanting to refactor the create order process
>>>   has code, been contributed to JIRA, though because it's a patch
>> will
>>> only attract those that are _really committed to the topic and not
>>> those that have a passing interest.
>>> 5. Jonathon's rag tag team
>>>   Jonathon claims it has lots of code
> === message truncated ===
>
>

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

cjhowe

--- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Chris,
>
> Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
> fodder for big boys with lawyers.)
>
>  > This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
> a
>  > joint work.
>
> Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it to a
> committer who commits this
> stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the
> committer are not liable.
>

ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.

> That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put into
> my private sandbox are not
> stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so I
> won't be liable for any
> thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.
>

That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the CLA
and license grant to protect itself.

>  > The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
>  > amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
> Apache
>  > 2.
>
> Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
> ragtag sandbox assigns rights to
> ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.
>

AFAIK
The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution to
you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since their
contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution, it
is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the point
where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.  Still
not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is available
to the community but owned by ASF.

>  > Not a pretty pickle.
>
> No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
> money for a living, etc. But
> that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.
>
>  > Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>
> Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.
>
> Jonathon
>
> Chris Howe wrote:
> > IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
> trying
> > to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
> wants
> > to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
> fun
> > being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
> > commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
> > homeless.  
> >
> > I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.
>  I
> > think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier
> to
> > follow.  But again IANAL.
> > Comments inline.
> >
> >
> > --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> >> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
> >>
> >> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
> >> Chris often has a way of
> >> spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a
> particular
> >> angle now. Though I'm also
> >> often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if
> I
> >> feel scared/concerned about
> >> some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.
> >>
> >> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
> note
> >> those words between **.
> >>
> >> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
> >> value of the
> >> work* ..."
> >>
> >> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
> >> open sourced codes can be packed
> >> into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).
> >>
> >
> > AFAIK, correct.
> >
> >> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
> shared
> >> between a few friends) without
> >> damaging that license?
> >>
> >
> > The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
> > nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
> believe
> > a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
> greatly
> > diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
> > compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
> their
> > main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
> points a
> > browser or other client software in their direction.
> >
> >> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
> >> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
> >> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
> >>
> >> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
> >> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
> >> of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
> >> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
> >> team become a partnership?
> >
> > No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
> agreement.
> > Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
> anyone
> > who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
> OFBiz
> > as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to
> the
> > ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with
> the
> > ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
> > protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders
> in
> > the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
> > committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed
> under
> > Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
> > (you) of a joint work.
> >
> > The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your
> "patch"
> > is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint
> owner
> > can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties
> and
> > don't diminish its value.  
> >
> > Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
> > individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it
> under
> > Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
> > agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution
> under
> > Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and
> now
> > you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the
> other
> > joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to
> other
> > people.  Not a pretty pickle.
> >
> > Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
> >
> >
> >
> > On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder
> cannot
> > waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
> > interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
> > reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted.
> Although
> > then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get
> scary as
> > the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
> > heirs/debtors upon death.
> >
> >
> >> I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >> Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already
> know
> >> all that.
> >>
> >> Jonathon
> >>
> >> Chris Howe wrote:
> >>> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >>> <snip>
> >>>> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.
> There's
> >> no
> >>>>  
> >>>> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but
>  
> >>>> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
> >>>>
> >>> <snip>
> >>>
> >>> You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
> >>> present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
> >>> created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT
> legal
> >>> concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of
> background
>
=== message truncated ===

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Scott Gray
Could anyone wishing to post further regarding licensing issues please
change the subject line?

Thanks
Scott

Chris Howe wrote:

> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>  
>> Chris,
>>
>> Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
>> fodder for big boys with lawyers.)
>>
>>  > This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
>> a
>>  > joint work.
>>
>> Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it to a
>> committer who commits this
>> stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the
>> committer are not liable.
>>
>>    
>
> ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.
>
>  
>> That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put into
>> my private sandbox are not
>> stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so I
>> won't be liable for any
>> thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.
>>
>>    
>
> That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the CLA
> and license grant to protect itself.
>
>  
>>  > The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
>>  > amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
>> Apache
>>  > 2.
>>
>> Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
>> ragtag sandbox assigns rights to
>> ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.
>>
>>    
>
> AFAIK
> The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
> contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution to
> you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since their
> contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution, it
> is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the point
> where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.  Still
> not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is available
> to the community but owned by ASF.
>
>  
>>  > Not a pretty pickle.
>>
>> No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
>> money for a living, etc. But
>> that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.
>>
>>  > Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>>
>> Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.
>>
>> Jonathon
>>
>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>    
>>> IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
>>>      
>> trying
>>    
>>> to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
>>>      
>> wants
>>    
>>> to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
>>>      
>> fun
>>    
>>> being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
>>> commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
>>> homeless.  
>>>
>>> I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.
>>>      
>>  I
>>    
>>> think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier
>>>      
>> to
>>    
>>> follow.  But again IANAL.
>>> Comments inline.
>>>
>>>
>>> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>>      
>>>> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
>>>>
>>>> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
>>>> Chris often has a way of
>>>> spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a
>>>>        
>> particular
>>    
>>>> angle now. Though I'm also
>>>> often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if
>>>>        
>> I
>>    
>>>> feel scared/concerned about
>>>> some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.
>>>>
>>>> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
>>>>        
>> note
>>    
>>>> those words between **.
>>>>
>>>> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
>>>> value of the
>>>> work* ..."
>>>>
>>>> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
>>>> open sourced codes can be packed
>>>> into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).
>>>>
>>>>        
>>> AFAIK, correct.
>>>
>>>      
>>>> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
>>>>        
>> shared
>>    
>>>> between a few friends) without
>>>> damaging that license?
>>>>
>>>>        
>>> The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
>>> nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
>>>      
>> believe
>>    
>>> a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
>>>      
>> greatly
>>    
>>> diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
>>> compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
>>>      
>> their
>>    
>>> main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
>>>      
>> points a
>>    
>>> browser or other client software in their direction.
>>>
>>>      
>>>> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
>>>> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
>>>> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
>>>>
>>>> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
>>>> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
>>>> of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
>>>> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
>>>> team become a partnership?
>>>>        
>>> No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
>>>      
>> agreement.
>>    
>>> Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
>>>      
>> anyone
>>    
>>> who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
>>>      
>> OFBiz
>>    
>>> as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to
>>>      
>> the
>>    
>>> ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with
>>>      
>> the
>>    
>>> ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
>>> protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders
>>>      
>> in
>>    
>>> the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
>>> committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed
>>>      
>> under
>>    
>>> Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
>>> (you) of a joint work.
>>>
>>> The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your
>>>      
>> "patch"
>>    
>>> is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint
>>>      
>> owner
>>    
>>> can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties
>>>      
>> and
>>    
>>> don't diminish its value.  
>>>
>>> Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
>>> individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it
>>>      
>> under
>>    
>>> Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
>>> agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution
>>>      
>> under
>>    
>>> Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and
>>>      
>> now
>>    
>>> you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the
>>>      
>> other
>>    
>>> joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to
>>>      
>> other
>>    
>>> people.  Not a pretty pickle.
>>>
>>> Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder
>>>      
>> cannot
>>    
>>> waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
>>> interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
>>> reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted.
>>>      
>> Although
>>    
>>> then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get
>>>      
>> scary as
>>    
>>> the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
>>> heirs/debtors upon death.
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>> I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already
>>>>        
>> know
>>    
>>>> all that.
>>>>
>>>> Jonathon
>>>>
>>>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>>>        
>>>>> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>          
>>>>>> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.
>>>>>>            
>> There's
>>    
>>>> no
>>>>        
>>>>>>  
>>>>>> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but
>>>>>>            
>>  
>>    
>>>>>> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>
>>>>> You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
>>>>> present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
>>>>> created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT
>>>>>          
>> legal
>>    
>>>>> concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of
>>>>>          
>> background
>>
>>    
> === message truncated ===
>
>
>  

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

jonwimp
In reply to this post by cjhowe
Chris,

Sigh. If there's any case of "severe physical mishap" involving a lawyer, you know where to find
the usual suspects.

 > That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the CLA and
 > license grant to protect itself.

If someone can help me with setting up this "protection", I'd really appreciate it. Seems an LGPL
is so much easier.

 > AFAIK
 > The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
 > contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution to
 > you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since their
 > contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution, it
 > is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the point
 > where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.  Still
 > not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is available
 > to the community but owned by ASF.

Oh, I see. So that's why you guys had to go through the monumental effort to gather every
contributor that ever put in to OFBiz codes when getting into ASF.

Argh. I don't know anymore. I'll just try to mimic ASF licensing procedures as much as I can.

Jonathon

Chris Howe wrote:

> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Chris,
>>
>> Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
>> fodder for big boys with lawyers.)
>>
>>  > This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
>> a
>>  > joint work.
>>
>> Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it to a
>> committer who commits this
>> stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the
>> committer are not liable.
>>
>
> ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.
>
>> That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put into
>> my private sandbox are not
>> stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so I
>> won't be liable for any
>> thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.
>>
>
> That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the CLA
> and license grant to protect itself.
>
>>  > The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
>>  > amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
>> Apache
>>  > 2.
>>
>> Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
>> ragtag sandbox assigns rights to
>> ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.
>>
>
> AFAIK
> The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
> contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution to
> you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since their
> contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution, it
> is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the point
> where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.  Still
> not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is available
> to the community but owned by ASF.
>
>>  > Not a pretty pickle.
>>
>> No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
>> money for a living, etc. But
>> that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.
>>
>>  > Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>>
>> Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.
>>
>> Jonathon
>>
>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>> IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
>> trying
>>> to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
>> wants
>>> to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
>> fun
>>> being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
>>> commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
>>> homeless.  
>>>
>>> I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.
>>  I
>>> think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier
>> to
>>> follow.  But again IANAL.
>>> Comments inline.
>>>
>>>
>>> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
>>>>
>>>> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
>>>> Chris often has a way of
>>>> spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a
>> particular
>>>> angle now. Though I'm also
>>>> often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if
>> I
>>>> feel scared/concerned about
>>>> some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.
>>>>
>>>> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
>> note
>>>> those words between **.
>>>>
>>>> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
>>>> value of the
>>>> work* ..."
>>>>
>>>> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
>>>> open sourced codes can be packed
>>>> into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).
>>>>
>>> AFAIK, correct.
>>>
>>>> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
>> shared
>>>> between a few friends) without
>>>> damaging that license?
>>>>
>>> The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
>>> nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
>> believe
>>> a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
>> greatly
>>> diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
>>> compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
>> their
>>> main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
>> points a
>>> browser or other client software in their direction.
>>>
>>>> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
>>>> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
>>>> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
>>>>
>>>> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
>>>> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
>>>> of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
>>>> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
>>>> team become a partnership?
>>> No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
>> agreement.
>>> Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
>> anyone
>>> who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
>> OFBiz
>>> as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to
>> the
>>> ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with
>> the
>>> ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
>>> protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders
>> in
>>> the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
>>> committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed
>> under
>>> Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
>>> (you) of a joint work.
>>>
>>> The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your
>> "patch"
>>> is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint
>> owner
>>> can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties
>> and
>>> don't diminish its value.  
>>>
>>> Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
>>> individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it
>> under
>>> Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
>>> agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution
>> under
>>> Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and
>> now
>>> you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the
>> other
>>> joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to
>> other
>>> people.  Not a pretty pickle.
>>>
>>> Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder
>> cannot
>>> waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
>>> interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
>>> reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted.
>> Although
>>> then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get
>> scary as
>>> the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
>>> heirs/debtors upon death.
>>>
>>>
>>>> I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already
>> know
>>>> all that.
>>>>
>>>> Jonathon
>>>>
>>>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>>>> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.
>> There's
>>>> no
>>>>>>  
>>>>>> fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but
>>  
>>>>>> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
>>>>>>
>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>
>>>>> You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
>>>>> present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
>>>>> created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT
>> legal
>>>>> concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of
>> background
>>
> === message truncated ===
>
>

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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Tim Ruppert
In reply to this post by Scott Gray
+1

On Jan 26, 2007, at 9:52 PM, Scott Gray wrote:

> Could anyone wishing to post further regarding licensing issues  
> please change the subject line?
>
> Thanks
> Scott
>
> Chris Howe wrote:
>> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Chris,
>>>
>>> Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
>>> fodder for big boys with lawyers.)
>>>
>>>  > This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
>>> a
>>>  > joint work.
>>>
>>> Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it  
>>> to a
>>> committer who commits this stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable  
>>> for the theft, and ASF and the
>>> committer are not liable.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.
>>
>>
>>> That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put into
>>> my private sandbox are not stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's  
>>> "license grant" process, so I
>>> won't be liable for any thefts committed by contributors in my  
>>> sandbox team.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than  
>> the CLA
>> and license grant to protect itself.
>>
>>
>>>  > The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
>>>  > amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
>>> Apache
>>>  > 2.
>>>
>>> Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
>>> ragtag sandbox assigns rights to ASF to distribute their  
>>> contributions under Apache 2.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> AFAIK
>> The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
>> contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution to
>> you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since  
>> their
>> contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution, it
>> is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the point
>> where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.  
>> Still
>> not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is  
>> available
>> to the community but owned by ASF.
>>
>>
>>>  > Not a pretty pickle.
>>>
>>> No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
>>> money for a living, etc. But that's not my concern. I leave that  
>>> to businessmen.
>>>
>>>  > Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>>>
>>> Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.
>>>
>>> Jonathon
>>>
>>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>>
>>>> IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
>>>>
>>> trying
>>>
>>>> to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
>>>>
>>> wants
>>>
>>>> to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
>>>>
>>> fun
>>>
>>>> being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
>>>> commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
>>>> homeless.
>>>> I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.
>>>>
>>>  I
>>>
>>>> think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier
>>>>
>>> to
>>>
>>>> follow.  But again IANAL.
>>>> Comments inline.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
>>>>> Chris often has a way of spotting some oft-missed angle, and  
>>>>> I'm concerned about a
>>>>>
>>> particular
>>>
>>>>> angle now. Though I'm also often lost in his long complex  
>>>>> explanations, please forgive me if
>>>>>
>>> I
>>>
>>>>> feel scared/concerned about some issues mentioned. Need just a  
>>>>> bit of advice here.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
>>>>>
>>> note
>>>
>>>>> those words between **.
>>>>>
>>>>> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
>>>>> value of the
>>>>> work* ..."
>>>>>
>>>>> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
>>>>> open sourced codes can be packed into a commercial package  
>>>>> (much like the LGPL?).
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> AFAIK, correct.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
>>>>>
>>> shared
>>>
>>>>> between a few friends) without damaging that license?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
>>>> nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
>>>>
>>> believe
>>>
>>>> a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
>>>>
>>> greatly
>>>
>>>> diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
>>>> compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
>>>>
>>> their
>>>
>>>> main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
>>>>
>>> points a
>>>
>>>> browser or other client software in their direction.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
>>>>> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
>>>>> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
>>>>>
>>>>> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
>>>>> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection of "interdependent parts of  
>>>>> a unitary whole". Will that mean the
>>>>> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag team become a partnership?
>>>>>
>>>> No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
>>>>
>>> agreement.
>>>
>>>> Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
>>>>
>>> anyone
>>>
>>>> who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
>>>>
>>> OFBiz
>>>
>>>> as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to
>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>> ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with
>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>> ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
>>>> protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders
>>>>
>>> in
>>>
>>>> the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
>>>> committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed
>>>>
>>> under
>>>
>>>> Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
>>>> (you) of a joint work.
>>>>
>>>> The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your
>>>>
>>> "patch"
>>>
>>>> is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint
>>>>
>>> owner
>>>
>>>> can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties
>>>>
>>> and
>>>
>>>> don't diminish its value.
>>>> Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
>>>> individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it
>>>>
>>> under
>>>
>>>> Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
>>>> agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution
>>>>
>>> under
>>>
>>>> Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and
>>>>
>>> now
>>>
>>>> you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the
>>>>
>>> other
>>>
>>>> joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to
>>>>
>>> other
>>>
>>>> people.  Not a pretty pickle.
>>>>
>>>> Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder
>>>>
>>> cannot
>>>
>>>> waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
>>>> interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
>>>> reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted.
>>>>
>>> Although
>>>
>>>> then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get
>>>>
>>> scary as
>>>
>>>> the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
>>>> heirs/debtors upon death.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>> Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already
>>>>>
>>> know
>>>
>>>>> all that.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jonathon
>>>>>
>>>>> Chris Howe wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct.
>>> There's
>>>
>>>>> no
>>>>>
>>>>>>>  fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern,  
>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>>
>>>
>>>>>>> that's truly not what this discussion should be about.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
>>>>>> present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
>>>>>> created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT
>>>>>>
>>> legal
>>>
>>>>>> concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of
>>>>>>
>>> background
>>>
>>>
>> === message truncated ===
>>
>>
>>
>


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Re: Refactoring Create Order process during OFBiz Developers Conference Sponsored by Hotwax Media

Tim Ruppert
In reply to this post by cjhowe
Can we all agree on the fact that there is a protocol in place, that if followed, allows everyone the ability to pass code around in a legal format?  This may or may not be the most optimal format for said collaboration, but it does permit us to contribute back to the community in a meaningful way.

Let's table this sandbox discussion until we find a movement complex enough that it requires something more than incremental changes to be made to the trunk before we can agree to include it.  Does that sound reasonable?  Once there is an idea to build something that cannot follow this incremental pattern, we can evaluate where we are in terms of resources and determine the best course of action to follow.

Cheers,
Tim
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media

o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595


On Jan 26, 2007, at 9:39 PM, Chris Howe wrote:


--- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:

Chris,

Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
fodder for big boys with lawyers.)

This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
a
joint work.

Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it to a
committer who commits this 
stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the
committer are not liable.


ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.

That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put into
my private sandbox are not 
stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so I
won't be liable for any 
thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.


That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the CLA
and license grant to protect itself.

The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
Apache
2.

Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
ragtag sandbox assigns rights to 
ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.


AFAIK
The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution to
you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since their
contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution, it
is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the point
where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.  Still
not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is available
to the community but owned by ASF.

Not a pretty pickle.

No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
money for a living, etc. But 
that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.

Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?

Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.

Jonathon

Chris Howe wrote:
IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
trying
to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
wants
to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
fun
being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts your
commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
homeless.  

I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's questions.
 I
think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also easier
to
follow.  But again IANAL.
Comments inline.


--- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:

David (Jones), Tim, Chris,

Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz. But
Chris often has a way of 
spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a
particular
angle now. Though I'm also 
often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me if
I
feel scared/concerned about 
some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.

I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
note
those words between **.

"When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy the
value of the
work* ..."

I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so the
open sourced codes can be packed 
into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).


AFAIK, correct.

How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
shared
between a few friends) without 
damaging that license?


The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
believe
a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
greatly
diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is further
compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
their
main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
points a
browser or other client software in their direction.

"According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or more
authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into
inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."

What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
sandbox into OFBiz as a collection 
of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
OFBiz core team and my own ragtag 
team become a partnership?

No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
agreement.
Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
anyone
who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
OFBiz
as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution to
the
ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction with
the
ASF is between the committer and the ASF, not you.  This, I believe
protects the ASF to only being subject to cease and desist orders
in
the event of infringement.  This structure should also protect the
committer as it is their impression the work is being licensed
under
Apache 2.  This structure, however does not protect the contributor
(you) of a joint work.

The problem as I see it with your semi-private SVN is that your
"patch"
is not exclusively yours, it's the joint owners.  You as a joint
owner
can license it anyway you want as long as you share the royalties
and
don't diminish its value.  

Distributing it under Apache 2, diminishes its value. So, only an
individual entity (individual or corporation) can distribute it
under
Apache 2.  The only way as I see around this is to have a specific
agreement amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution
under
Apache 2.  This agreement creates a legally binding partnership and
now
you're subject to the representations and liabilities that the
other
joint owners make regarding the joint work in their licensing to
other
people.  Not a pretty pickle.

Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?



On a side note (from the findlaw article), a copyright holder
cannot
waive their termination right in advance.  This makes for an
interesting scenario 35 years from now. Perhaps the ASF should
reconsider the copyright assignment that the FSF has adopted.
Although
then you have to rethink the trick of the CLA.  This could get
scary as
the copyright is owned by the estate and thus can be distributed to
heirs/debtors upon death. 


I'm really lost. Anyway, if it's a non-issue, just let me know?
Thanks.

Don't need to brief me about open source and GPL/LGPL, I already
know
all that.

Jonathon

Chris Howe wrote:
--- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
<snip>
I reviewed patches for Anil and Ashish - that is correct. 
There's
no

fancy partnership here - nor is there any any legal concern, but

that's truly not what this discussion should be about.

<snip>

You're absolutely correct that there isn't a _fancy partnership
present.  The partnership created is the same mundane one that is
created every day.  I must disagree with you, it is of GREAT
legal
concern.  Since you obviously did not follow the link of
background

=== message truncated ===



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Re: Intellectual Property and Sandbox SVN

cjhowe
Tim,
I do agree that there is a protocol in place, but I do not agree that
everyone is following it. Those that seem the most opposed to a
discussion about a sandbox are the ones that keep pumping out the joint
works.  From my limited understanding, this does not appear to be a
legal format to license under open source without exposing the
contributor to partnership liability and the exposing the community
with the task of rooting out the offending code.

I gave you a list of 10 environments that are complex enough and
require
more than incremental changes. Tabling this discussion will continue to
lose many of the valuable contributions of the community (Like Phani's
work on Google Checkout integration).

In addition, continuing to table this discussion will increase the
likelihood that offending code makes its way into the project.  If
someone makes a stink about it, my understanding is that the remedy is
for the ASF and anyone using Apache OFBiz to cease and desist until the
offending code is removed.  If a business is running off Apache OFBiz,
how much will it cost them to cease and desist?  If they choose not to
C & D, how much will it cost them to defend against a copyright
infringement claim?

If my legal understanding is incorrect, someone please post the
question to legal-discuss and get a real lawyer's opinion.  If there is
no real risk in these joint works being added to the project, address
it as such.

Regards,
Chris

--- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Can we all agree on the fact that there is a protocol in place, that
>
> if followed, allows everyone the ability to pass code around in a  
> legal format?  This may or may not be the most optimal format for  
> said collaboration, but it does permit us to contribute back to the  
> community in a meaningful way.
>
> Let's table this sandbox discussion until we find a movement complex
>
> enough that it requires something more than incremental changes to be
>  
> made to the trunk before we can agree to include it.  Does that sound
>  
> reasonable?  Once there is an idea to build something that cannot  
> follow this incremental pattern, we can evaluate where we are in  
> terms of resources and determine the best course of action to follow.
>
> Cheers,
> Tim
> --
> Tim Ruppert
> HotWax Media
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
> o:801.649.6594
> f:801.649.6595
>
>
> On Jan 26, 2007, at 9:39 PM, Chris Howe wrote:
>
> >
> > --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> >> Chris,
> >>
> >> Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
> >> fodder for big boys with lawyers.)
> >>
> >>> This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
> >> a
> >>> joint work.
> >>
> >> Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it
> to a
> >> committer who commits this
> >> stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the
> >> committer are not liable.
> >>
> >
> > ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.
> >
> >> That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put
> into
> >> my private sandbox are not
> >> stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so
> I
> >> won't be liable for any
> >> thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.
> >>
> >
> > That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the
>  
> > CLA
> > and license grant to protect itself.
> >
> >>> The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
> >>> amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
> >> Apache
> >>> 2.
> >>
> >> Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
> >> ragtag sandbox assigns rights to
> >> ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.
> >>
> >
> > AFAIK
> > The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
> > contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution
> to
> > you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since
> their
> > contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution,
> it
> > is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the
> point
> > where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered.
> Still
> > not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is  
> > available
> > to the community but owned by ASF.
> >
> >>> Not a pretty pickle.
> >>
> >> No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
> >> money for a living, etc. But
> >> that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.
> >>
> >>> Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?
> >>
> >> Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.
> >>
> >> Jonathon
> >>
> >> Chris Howe wrote:
> >>> IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
> >> trying
> >>> to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
> >> wants
> >>> to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
> >> fun
> >>> being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts
> your
> >>> commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
> >>> homeless.
> >>>
> >>> I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's
> questions.
> >>  I
> >>> think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also
> easier
> >> to
> >>> follow.  But again IANAL.
> >>> Comments inline.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> David (Jones), Tim, Chris,
> >>>>
> >>>> Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz.
> But
> >>>> Chris often has a way of
> >>>> spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a
> >> particular
> >>>> angle now. Though I'm also
> >>>> often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me
> if
> >> I
> >>>> feel scared/concerned about
> >>>> some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.
> >>>>
> >>>> I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
> >> note
> >>>> those words between **.
> >>>>
> >>>> "When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy
> the
> >>>> value of the
> >>>> work* ..."
> >>>>
> >>>> I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so
> the
> >>>> open sourced codes can be packed
> >>>> into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> AFAIK, correct.
> >>>
> >>>> How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
> >> shared
> >>>> between a few friends) without
> >>>> damaging that license?
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
> >>> nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
> >> believe
> >>> a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
> >> greatly
> >>> diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is
> further
> >>> compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
> >> their
> >>> main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
> >> points a
> >>> browser or other client software in their direction.
> >>>
> >>>> "According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or
> more
> >>>> authors with the intention that their contributions be merged
> into
> >>>> inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."
> >>>>
> >>>> What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
> >>>> sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
> >>>> of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
> >>>> OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
> >>>> team become a partnership?
> >>>
> >>> No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
> >> agreement.
> >>> Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
> >> anyone
> >>> who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
> >> OFBiz
> >>> as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution
> to
> >> the
> >>> ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction
> with
> >> the
>
=== message truncated ===

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Re: Intellectual Property and Sandbox SVN

Tim Ruppert
And as I said last night Chris - I'm not opposed to doing something to rectify the situation - all anyone is asking here that you try ONE of the ten things you have going and try doing it iteratively using the same model that's been outlined many times before.  

Just do it once, see how many people get involved - see how unmanageable the process is with someone making a patch, submitting it, people testing it, and it going into the project.

I believe that the first of such patches could easily be just a new application, some controller and web xml files, and ofbiz-component.xml, etc, etc.  Then a proposal would be put forth to the community for the project.  People could jump in and the changes could be built upon quite easily.  We've been managing updates in this way for a good long while now and it has been quite manageable and made for quick turnarounds.

I personally think that it is easier to manage small patches as they are created versus trying to submit something that's TOTALLY new application.  Think about how much time it would take for the committers to review an application that grows that large?  Why not try it iteratively and see how you like it?

As for the legal concerns, if there's someone at the ASF we can send this question to once and for all - by all means let's find a way to at least send it over there.  Chris, if you have a lawyer that you'd like to review all of the docs and give you a formal understanding of everything - please knock yourself and let us know how it all goes.  If there is anyone else that wants to donate legal time - we would all love for this to be resolved so that it doesn't come up again.

So, here's my final two cents on the issue:

1. START USING THE EXISTING PROCESS
2. Check and see if someone can donate some legal time to quiesce any legal questions 
3. Check and see if the ASF can help us with this conundrum 
4. Evaluate legal resolutions and make infrastructure decisions based on true need resource availability.

Chris, I hope this works for you both as a short-term solution and as an understanding that we must wait until a true need shows itself (not proven) and some of these legal questions are answered by someone classically trained (instead of just someone's conjecture).  

This is the last time I want to address this issue until we have both a real life situation that's not working AND legal answers from someone that specializes in Intellectual Property Law and knows the ASF intimately.  Anybody else that wants to continue deliberating on this topic - please feel free.

Cheers,
Tim
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media

o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595


On Jan 27, 2007, at 9:28 AM, Chris Howe wrote:

Tim,
I do agree that there is a protocol in place, but I do not agree that
everyone is following it. Those that seem the most opposed to a
discussion about a sandbox are the ones that keep pumping out the joint
works.  From my limited understanding, this does not appear to be a
legal format to license under open source without exposing the
contributor to partnership liability and the exposing the community
with the task of rooting out the offending code.

I gave you a list of 10 environments that are complex enough and
require 
more than incremental changes. Tabling this discussion will continue to
lose many of the valuable contributions of the community (Like Phani's
work on Google Checkout integration).

In addition, continuing to table this discussion will increase the
likelihood that offending code makes its way into the project.  If
someone makes a stink about it, my understanding is that the remedy is
for the ASF and anyone using Apache OFBiz to cease and desist until the
offending code is removed.  If a business is running off Apache OFBiz,
how much will it cost them to cease and desist?  If they choose not to
C & D, how much will it cost them to defend against a copyright
infringement claim?

If my legal understanding is incorrect, someone please post the
question to legal-discuss and get a real lawyer's opinion.  If there is
no real risk in these joint works being added to the project, address
it as such.

Regards,
Chris

--- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:

Can we all agree on the fact that there is a protocol in place, that 

if followed, allows everyone the ability to pass code around in a  
legal format?  This may or may not be the most optimal format for  
said collaboration, but it does permit us to contribute back to the  
community in a meaningful way.

Let's table this sandbox discussion until we find a movement complex 

enough that it requires something more than incremental changes to be

made to the trunk before we can agree to include it.  Does that sound

reasonable?  Once there is an idea to build something that cannot  
follow this incremental pattern, we can evaluate where we are in  
terms of resources and determine the best course of action to follow.

Cheers,
Tim
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media

o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595


On Jan 26, 2007, at 9:39 PM, Chris Howe wrote:


--- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:

Chris,

Ugh. Remind me never to take up law. (Yeah, I know, I'll be cannon
fodder for big boys with lawyers.)

This structure, however does not protect the contributor (you) of
a
joint work.

Ok. So if I stole someone else's private work and contributed it
to a
committer who commits this
stolen work to ASF, then I'm liable for the theft, and ASF and the
committer are not liable.


ASF will need to remove the offending code from distribution.

That'll also mean I better make sure that the contributions put
into
my private sandbox are not
stolen as well. I'll just follow ASF's "license grant" process, so
I
won't be liable for any
thefts committed by contributors in my sandbox team.


That may not be sufficient.  The ASF does quite a bit more than the

CLA
and license grant to protect itself.

The only way as I see around this is to have a specific agreement
amongst all joint owners allowing for its distribution under
Apache
2.

Alright. So I just need to make sure all those committing to my
ragtag sandbox assigns rights to
ASF to distribute their contributions under Apache 2.


AFAIK
The only way you can grant a license to the ASF is if you make your
contribution directly to the ASF.  If they make their contribution
to
you, they are granting you a license not Apache.  However, since
their
contribution is intended to be inseparable from your contribution,
it
is now a joint work absent some sort of agreement. This is the
point
where it gets cloudy and no definitive answer has been offered. 
Still
not a pretty pickle and thus my ranting for a sandbox that is  
available
to the community but owned by ASF.

Not a pretty pickle.

No, it's not pretty to software vendors, OFBiz consultants needing
money for a living, etc. But
that's not my concern. I leave that to businessmen.

Does this make my understanding of the scenario clear?

Quite a bit clearer. Thanks.

Jonathon

Chris Howe wrote:
IMO, this is certainly not a non-issue, it's the issue I've been
trying
to get a definitive answer to for the last few weeks and everyone
wants
to simply ignore it and act like we're a bunch of hippies.  It's
fun
being a hippie until some large corporation comes by and carts
your
commune off their land.  Then you're not a hippie, you're just
homeless.

I've changed my stance slightly contemplating Jonathon's
questions.
 I
think this explanation is more correct, consistent and also
easier
to
follow.  But again IANAL.
Comments inline.


--- Jonathon -- Improov <[hidden email]> wrote:

David (Jones), Tim, Chris,

Sorry, I know this thread isn't about legal issues with OFBiz.
But
Chris often has a way of
spotting some oft-missed angle, and I'm concerned about a
particular
angle now. Though I'm also
often lost in his long complex explanations, please forgive me
if
I
feel scared/concerned about
some issues mentioned. Need just a bit of advice here.

I'm looking at some excertps from Chris' "findlaw" URL. Please
note
those words between **.

"When the copyright... *provided that the use does not destroy
the
value of the
work* ..."

I understand that the ASF license is like the MIT license, so
the
open sourced codes can be packed
into a commercial package (much like the LGPL?).


AFAIK, correct.

How do I publish codes (assuming I do have a semi-public SVN
shared
between a few friends) without
damaging that license?


The license is fine.  The owner of a copyright can write as many
nonexclusive licenses as he/she/it/they wish.  However, I don't
believe
a joint owner can grant the Apache 2 license to anyone without
greatly
diminishes the financial value of the work itself.  This is
further
compounded by granting the Apache 2 license to the ASF as one of
their
main functions is to distribute that work freely to anyone who
points a
browser or other client software in their direction.

"According to the Copyright Act... *a work prepared by two or
more
authors with the intention that their contributions be merged
into
inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole*."

What if I explicitly mention that I INTEND to merge my private
sandbox into OFBiz as a collection
of "interdependent parts of a unitary whole". Will that mean the
OFBiz core team and my own ragtag
team become a partnership?

No. This I believe is the trick of the contributor license
agreement.
Your "patch" is a complete work and you are granting license to
anyone
who has access to JIRA the Apache 2 license.  The committers of
OFBiz
as individuals accept your complete work and make a contribution
to
the
ASF project under the terms of the CLA.  The only interaction
with
the

=== message truncated ===



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Re: Intellectual Property and Sandbox SVN

Daniel Kunkel
In reply to this post by cjhowe
Hi

Ok, Chris, now you've confused me.

I don't have a problem understanding that collaborative efforts co-
mingled outside of "Apache Assigned" jira issues could have severe
issues, but it seems to me that collaboration is currently possible via
the inefficient jira patch process.

Isn't it completely appropriate for Collaborator A, say Phani to make an
"Apache Assigned" contribution in jira which Collaborator B improves and
again assigns it to Apache in an updated patch?

This still has all of the challenges I've mentioned before,

- One collaborator at a time.
- A quickly disappearing svn code state that the patch was created
against.
- inefficient and often chaotic patch handling.
- likelihood of losing the work to history
- lost opportunity to create strong community with more active energized
contributors.
- duplication of effort as more than one developer independently work on
features.
etc.

If this jira patch process is legal, then I think we're at the point of
beating a dead horse, but hopefully with the wheels of change in motion.

Daniel

On Sat, 2007-01-27 at 08:28 -0800, Chris Howe wrote:

> Tim,
> I do agree that there is a protocol in place, but I do not agree that
> everyone is following it. Those that seem the most opposed to a
> discussion about a sandbox are the ones that keep pumping out the joint
> works.  From my limited understanding, this does not appear to be a
> legal format to license under open source without exposing the
> contributor to partnership liability and the exposing the community
> with the task of rooting out the offending code.
>
> I gave you a list of 10 environments that are complex enough and
> require
> more than incremental changes. Tabling this discussion will continue to
> lose many of the valuable contributions of the community (Like Phani's
> work on Google Checkout integration).
>
> In addition, continuing to table this discussion will increase the
> likelihood that offending code makes its way into the project.  If
> someone makes a stink about it, my understanding is that the remedy is
> for the ASF and anyone using Apache OFBiz to cease and desist until the
> offending code is removed.  If a business is running off Apache OFBiz,
> how much will it cost them to cease and desist?  If they choose not to
> C & D, how much will it cost them to defend against a copyright
> infringement claim?
>
> If my legal understanding is incorrect, someone please post the
> question to legal-discuss and get a real lawyer's opinion.  If there is
> no real risk in these joint works being added to the project, address
> it as such.
>
> Regards,
> Chris
>
> --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> > Can we all agree on the fact that there is a protocol in place, that
> >
> > if followed, allows everyone the ability to pass code around in a  
> > legal format?  This may or may not be the most optimal format for  
> > said collaboration, but it does permit us to contribute back to the  
> > community in a meaningful way.
> >
> > Let's table this sandbox discussion until we find a movement complex
> >
> > enough that it requires something more than incremental changes to be
> >  
> > made to the trunk before we can agree to include it.  Does that sound
> >  
> > reasonable?  Once there is an idea to build something that cannot  
> > follow this incremental pattern, we can evaluate where we are in  
> > terms of resources and determine the best course of action to follow.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Tim
> > --
> > Tim Ruppert
> > HotWax Media
> > http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
> >
> > o:801.649.6594
> > f:801.649.6595
> >
--
Daniel

*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-
Have a GREAT Day!

Daniel Kunkel           [hidden email]
BioWaves, LLC           http://www.BioWaves.com
14150 NE 20th St. Suite F1
Bellevue, WA 98007
800-734-3588    425-895-0050
http://www.Apartment-Pets.com  http://www.Illusion-Optical.com
http://www.Card-Offer.com      http://www.RackWine.com
http://www.JokesBlonde.com     http://www.Brain-Fun.com 
*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-

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Re: Intellectual Property and Sandbox SVN

cjhowe
Daniel,

IMO you are exactly right both on JIRA and it becoming a dead horse
(usually a good sign that has occurred when someone politely asks you
to change the subject line ;) ).  

The JIRA process appears perfectly fine for individual works and works
owned by corporations.  The problem I was pointing out to Tim  is that
he is asking others to follow a protocol that he has not been following
himself.   The protocol Tim has been following created joint works
instead of individual works (Not meaning to point Tim out specifically,
MANY contributions has been made in a similar manner).

Whoever has the ability to subscribe to the legal-discuss mailing list
(committers) could you please post the following questions?

Given the following excerpt from FindLaw
http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241478.html and your own personal
legal background,

"When the copyright in a work is jointly owned, each joint owner can
use or license the work in the United States without the consent of the
other owner, provided that the use does not destroy the value of the
work and the parties do not have an agreement requiring the consent of
each owner for use or licensing. A joint owner who licenses a work must
share any royalties he or she receives with the other owners."

Is it possible for a joint owner to license the jointly owned work
under Apache2 or other compatible license?

It appears on the surface that the Apache2 license destroys the value
of the joint work itself (albeit increasing the value of the ether).

If it is only possible with the consent of the other joint owners, does
that agreement constitute a partnership between the joint owners?

If it does constitute a partnership, does this partnership bind each
joint owner jointly and severely to any and all liabilities another
joint owner may create in their representations of the joint work?

Thank You!

--- Daniel Kunkel <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi
>
> Ok, Chris, now you've confused me.
>
> I don't have a problem understanding that collaborative efforts co-
> mingled outside of "Apache Assigned" jira issues could have severe
> issues, but it seems to me that collaboration is currently possible
> via
> the inefficient jira patch process.
>
> Isn't it completely appropriate for Collaborator A, say Phani to make
> an
> "Apache Assigned" contribution in jira which Collaborator B improves
> and
> again assigns it to Apache in an updated patch?
>
> This still has all of the challenges I've mentioned before,
>
> - One collaborator at a time.
> - A quickly disappearing svn code state that the patch was created
> against.
> - inefficient and often chaotic patch handling.
> - likelihood of losing the work to history
> - lost opportunity to create strong community with more active
> energized
> contributors.
> - duplication of effort as more than one developer independently work
> on
> features.
> etc.
>
> If this jira patch process is legal, then I think we're at the point
> of
> beating a dead horse, but hopefully with the wheels of change in
> motion.
>
> Daniel
>
> On Sat, 2007-01-27 at 08:28 -0800, Chris Howe wrote:
> > Tim,
> > I do agree that there is a protocol in place, but I do not agree
> that
> > everyone is following it. Those that seem the most opposed to a
> > discussion about a sandbox are the ones that keep pumping out the
> joint
> > works.  From my limited understanding, this does not appear to be a
> > legal format to license under open source without exposing the
> > contributor to partnership liability and the exposing the community
> > with the task of rooting out the offending code.
> >
> > I gave you a list of 10 environments that are complex enough and
> > require
> > more than incremental changes. Tabling this discussion will
> continue to
> > lose many of the valuable contributions of the community (Like
> Phani's
> > work on Google Checkout integration).
> >
> > In addition, continuing to table this discussion will increase the
> > likelihood that offending code makes its way into the project.  If
> > someone makes a stink about it, my understanding is that the remedy
> is
> > for the ASF and anyone using Apache OFBiz to cease and desist until
> the
> > offending code is removed.  If a business is running off Apache
> OFBiz,
> > how much will it cost them to cease and desist?  If they choose not
> to
> > C & D, how much will it cost them to defend against a copyright
> > infringement claim?
> >
> > If my legal understanding is incorrect, someone please post the
> > question to legal-discuss and get a real lawyer's opinion.  If
> there is
> > no real risk in these joint works being added to the project,
> address
> > it as such.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Chris
> >
> > --- Tim Ruppert <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > > Can we all agree on the fact that there is a protocol in place,
> that
> > >
> > > if followed, allows everyone the ability to pass code around in a
>  
> > > legal format?  This may or may not be the most optimal format for
>  
> > > said collaboration, but it does permit us to contribute back to
> the  
> > > community in a meaningful way.
> > >
> > > Let's table this sandbox discussion until we find a movement
> complex
> > >
> > > enough that it requires something more than incremental changes
> to be
> > >  
> > > made to the trunk before we can agree to include it.  Does that
> sound
> > >  
> > > reasonable?  Once there is an idea to build something that cannot
>  
> > > follow this incremental pattern, we can evaluate where we are in
>
> > > terms of resources and determine the best course of action to
> follow.
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > > Tim
> > > --
> > > Tim Ruppert
> > > HotWax Media
> > > http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
> > >
> > > o:801.649.6594
> > > f:801.649.6595
> > >
> --
> Daniel
>
> *-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-
> Have a GREAT Day!
>
> Daniel Kunkel           [hidden email]
> BioWaves, LLC           http://www.BioWaves.com
> 14150 NE 20th St. Suite F1
> Bellevue, WA 98007
> 800-734-3588    425-895-0050
> http://www.Apartment-Pets.com  http://www.Illusion-Optical.com
> http://www.Card-Offer.com      http://www.RackWine.com
> http://www.JokesBlonde.com     http://www.Brain-Fun.com 
> *-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-.,,.-*"*-
>
>

123