[News.eclipse.foundation] Re: Overtaker of Eclipse Foundation Inc. possi

[ilias <ilias@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joerg von Frantzius wrote:
> ilias schrieb:
>
> > The bad news is for your client, which seems to be afraid about a buyout.
>
> Mr. Milinkovich's answer is actually good news for my client, whatever 
> you consider it. 

My intro "bad news" do not relate to any answer given.

> A buyout as such is not possible, and an unanimous vote 
> is unlikely enough to feel sure about it not happening. 

ok

> Before the 
> question he was afraid, knowing the answer he won't be so any more. I 
> don't understand where any confusion can come from here?

the confusion is:

A buyout is not necessary, to ask for licensing fees".

> > There is no such thing as absolute security in the mathematical sense 
> > of absoluteness. [...]
> >
> > If so, why do you place your initial question?
>
> To find out about the probability of any such problem to happen. All I 
> already knew is that it wouldn't be 0 (zero).

fine.

And I gave you some points to evaluate:

- Open source projects can change the license at any time.
- A company which holds a critical mass of domain-knowledge has a strong 
influence on a system (independent of voting-power).
- It needs many time (and financial background), until core-developers 
can be replaced (if ever, in such a large source-code base).

-

Asking for licensing fees in future is something that can happen _easily_.

Scenario:
  - 2 Foundation members do not see value in the $500.000 membership, 
and change to add-in provider membership.
  - 3 foundation members decide finally to take another apporoach, 
after several problems with major eclipse projects ocour.
  - the remaining members decide to charge a small licensing fee to 
compensate the missing fees (and additionally to hire developers to keep 
the projects running).

remember: missing personal resources are already a problem within eclipse.

-

You can ask the eclipse foundation to add a clause in their bylaws which 
would disallow "asking for licensing fees for the eclipse core 
technology" in the future.

.

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