User Feedback :: Open Source



As far as I know, everything in DSL proper is open source.  The sources are not available within the distribution due to the size limit, but they are available either from the original authors of the applictions, or by request in the rare occasion that the source has been modified to work in DSL (e.g. firefox, xtdesktop).
Everything that has been added in the way of DSL-specific tools is script, and therefore inherently open source.

MyDSL extensions are a dfferent story.  Since they are built and maintained by users rather than DSL developers, they may or may not be open source.  I can pretty much tell you with confidence that they are mostly open source and generally built from either unmodified source code or from prebuilt open source binary packages of which the source is available through debian repositories of the original authors' websites (one reason why it's so important to include a proper info file with extensions).  There are one or two, such as opera, that are not open source but still redistributable.

None of this is fact, but a pretty good guess. =o)
This has actually been something which has startled me - the copyright notices on the lua scripts, etc. which form the distribution proper usually just tend to say 'copyright © contributor', without an explicit license. Thus, I've been unable to redistribute any, since I have no idea if I can or can't. (And assume they default to being proprietary IP of their creator.)
Some of DSL and MyDsl's are GPL or LGPL.
This is better than 'open source'. It's 'free software'.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html

quote:
" the legal status of ``open source'' is the same as that of ``free software'': there is no legal constraint on using it."
Even worse than the question of what is or is not actually open source or GPL/LGPL is the vexed issue of possible patents.

However in practice that is not going to be an issue until someone starts suing someone, and the targets for a law suit in practice need to be a corporation with deep pockets.
Quote (crusadingknight @ July 05 2006,13:35)
This has actually been something which has startled me - the copyright notices on the lua scripts, etc. which form the distribution proper usually just tend to say 'copyright © contributor', without an explicit license. Thus, I've been unable to redistribute any, since I have no idea if I can or can't. (And assume they default to being proprietary IP of their creator.)

Very much spot on, crusadingknight!

This is exactly what keeps me from redistributing and contributing to DSL. I have tons of mydsl's that I have created for myself, but I refuse to give them away until the mantainers respect what they themselves had  stated:
Quote
MyDSL:Acceptable Extension Policy
Extension Submission

All extension submissions must adhere to the following rules:

(..cut..)

   * The info file must give us the location of the "source" of this application. Source being defined here as a "known location of origin". If the application being submitted was compiled from source code, then the source code actually used to build the application can be submitted with the extension, or the exact version number and a location where it is available for download must be clearly stated in the info file. Include your ./configure file, and Makefile alongside the extension.

(..cut..)

   * Any submission may be denied admission into the MyDSL repository at our discretion. Reasons may include items incomplete, personalized, semi-functional, or deviant from known repositories and sources.


In my view DSL is not free software, but I use because it works.
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