[Koha] Proposal To Switch Koha's License to GPLv3 and AGPLv3 or AGPLv3

[MJ Ray]

Thomas Dukleth wrote:
> Each of us had to correct an earlier mistake in our analysis to see the
> issue clearly.  As I have stated previously, the difficulty is not that
> AGPL 3 is new and untested as MJ Ray argues.

That's not what I argue.

> The difficulty had been that AGPL 3 is sufficiently new that SFLC
> has lacked the familiarity of experience to already have well
> thought out answers to some questions about applying AGPL 3.

This ^^ is exactly what I argue.  Even the expert lawyers that usually
support our community haven't mapped all fairly obvious concerns yet.

> 1.2.1.  SPECIFIC APPLICATION TO KOHA.
[...]
> We should include Net::Z3950::ZOOM and the source code for Yaz for which
> ZOOM is merely a wrapper.  [...]
> We should include DBI and the dependency which we currently require
> DBD::mysql.  [...]

This makes the download size/cost problem a little bigger, as well as
adding an element of repository management.

> 2.1.  EQUIVALENT ACCESS TO PROGRAM AND CORRESPONDING SOURCE.
> 
> As the use is in object code form for a remote network user under AGPL 3,
> the "equivalent access" provision of section 6 (d) would apply.  Limiting
> the bandwidth for accessing the source code to a greater degree than the
> limitation of the bandwidth of the program use for countries where network
> connectivity is poor and extraordinarily expensive would not be allowed. 
> This change corrects the answer given for limiting bandwidth as a remedy
> to AGPL 3 objections given in section 3.1.1.3 of an earlier message of
> mine in this thread at
> http://lists.katipo.co.nz/pipermail/koha/2010-July/024391.html .

So I hope everyone reads this and understands the implication: if your
source code download is being hammered, limiting its bandwidth means
you should limit the bandwidth to your catalogue service too!

A corner case question is whether putting the source code as a
Disallow in the robots.txt http://robotstxt.org/ means you should list
the whole Koha as Disallow.  I know some libraries (those with rare
books, for sure) like to have catalogue pages listed on search engines
to help encourage membership.

> A provider of free source code hosting services with ample bandwidth, such
> as http://www.gitorious.org/ and http://github.com/ , would be one option
> for hosting the Corresponding Source.  Contracting Corresponding Source
> hosting services with a Koha support company would be another option. [...]

I remember that I have an outstanding question about availability
linking and external hosting, but this raises another one: does this
combine with the previous paragraph to mean that if your chosen
cost-free source code hosting service denies bandwidth to someone,
then your catalogue service should also deny them bandwidth?

So, do any of the cost-free source code hosting services publish their
block lists?  I didn't find one.

Regards,
-- 
MJ Ray (slef) Webmaster and developer for hire at | software
www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk        |  .... co
IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html |  .... op