Re: [Qemu-devel] FreeOSZoo will stop March 1, 2005

[James Mastros]

Jim C. Brown wrote:
> 1) There are those that use qemu without giving Fabrice any money or credit
> (such as iEmulator). This is best resolved by legal action, but it may be
> difficult for a single person to fight against an entire company, 
> financial-wise.
If this is the reason, and I think it is part of it, then it is a bad 
reason.

a) iEmulator wouldn't use kqemu anyway.  kqemu is for running 
x86-on-x86.  iEmulator is for x86-on-PowerPC.  Thus, the iEmulator 
people aren't loosing anything.

b) A far more effective way would be to first verify that they are 
actually breaking the GPL -- when you purchase iEmulator, do they give 
you a copy of the qemu source with it?  Are you given all rights to the 
qemu source you get as you would under the GPL?  Do they link code 
licensed GPL-incompatabiliy with qemu code?

If iEmulator is not breaking the GPL, then put the code into the qemu 
CVS.  If they are, then start making quiet threats.  If they don't open 
up, then talk to GNU, http://www.softwarefreedom.org/.  If they still 
don't, then it's time to make loud threats -- post to /., etc.

Don't punish everybody because a few folks aren't playing by the rules.

> 2) Fabrice wants to hold on to the source in order to make revenue from it in
> the future.
This is really a much more reasonable position, but if this is his 
position, he should probably state what it would take to open the 
current source for kqemu, and set up a way to take donations for the 
fund.  If he gets to his target, then do it again when he's ready to 
make the next big leap forward -- assuming, that is, that it isn't based 
upon GPL code from other parties.  (There's nothing illegal about basing 
it on your own GPL'd code.)

Since he hasn't responded to any of the several attempts to give him 
money, I rather doubt money is his primary concern, but rather respect 
and credit, which I can certainly understand -- but making kqemu 
closed-source isn't a good way to cause this to happen.

Despite this, I will probably be making several code contributions to 
qemu in the nearish future.  (PC speaker support, and possibly faster 
graphics code.)  I probably won't be contributing money, as it's rather 
tight for me -- sorry, Fabrice.

        -=- James Mastros

PS -- It isn't the case that iEmulator doesn't give qemu any credit, but 
I agree that they should give him much more credit.  Under 
www-dot-iemulator-dot-com-slash-iemulator_faq.php, the third FAQ gives 
qemu credit -- including noting the name of "Fabrice Bellard".  (URL 
mangled so they don't get Google PageRank off of the reference.)