In article <millertj-1303950845150001 at millermac.es.dupont.com>, millertj at a1.esvax.umc.dupont.com (Thomas J. Miller) writes:
> In article <D59sn6.6uA at ebi.ac.uk>, ewan birney <birney at molbiol.ox.ac.uk> wrote:
>>>>> Oooooh I read the conversation between GCG and Fred Plewniak...
>>>> What use is a GCG manual without GCG? I mean, I would have
>> thought that putting the manual up on the Web was just a bit
>> of free publicity...
>>>> I think it somewhat short-sighted for GCG to get protective about
>> its copyright: You could distribute it on the "anyone can copy
>> it but noone can change it without permission" copyright.
>>>> ewan
>>>>birney at molbiol.ox.ac.uk>> I would imagine that GCG does not consider its printed manual a profit-maker;
> more like a convenience to its customers. You can add me to list of those
> wishing
> see an 'official' release of the GCG user manual as say a WWW document.
> Regards, Tom.
I think this is simply a matter of at present inadequate familiarity
with WWW software and principles, coupled to a real threat of harmful
copyright infringement: If an http server executes a GCG program via a
CGI script, it is not enough for the server to be on a system with a GCG
license. The server should apply at least Level 1 (host check) protection
to ensure that the client also is encompassed by the site's license.
Otherwise, a few http servers could have licenses, and service the whole
world, driving GCG out of business.
One the other hand, offering the GCG "documentation" to "anyone"
via http servers is not only helpful to those who have reason to consult
it, but as you and others have pointed out, free advertising for GCG.
The homolog of the current policy would be that if you print out the
GCG Help or Manual and place it in library, it must have a notice on its
cover that it can only be read by people who have an account on a computer
with a GCG license. I doubt this policy will persist once the GCG folks
think it through.
Fote
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Foteos Macrides Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology
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