LinuxSampler license, was Re: [linux-audio-dev] fst, VST 2.0, kontakt

[Dave Robillard]

On Mon, 2006-07-03 at 08:33 -0400, Paul Davis wrote:
> On Mon, 2006-07-03 at 02:26 +0700, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
> > If they really want to get people to give money then they should just 
> > make it so that you have to pay or contribute code/time for a while to 
> > get access to the newest downloads from their site. Keep the stable 
> > version far enough behind the development version that people will pay 
> > to get the newest code base.
> 
> its really rather amusing to see people speculating on what the
> developers of LS could or could not do, when the actual relevant
> "encounter" with "commercial interests" has *already* happened. it did
> not go well. it can be tempting to imagine that we understand the
> motivations of commercial organizations and can therefore offer them
> appropriate carrots. don't be so confident of this. both the LS
> developers and myself are under the terms of an NDA, so it is not
> possible to discuss with any relevant detail precisely what happened.
> but it was nasty, it was unpleasant and as i've said before, it would be
> better for people to not make so many assumptions about their ability to
> guess at what might or might happen when a commercial company shows
> interest in a tool like LS.

Everyone can make assumptions about what they can or can't do until the
cows come home, but it's irrelevant.  The point it the license needs
clarification.

The disclaimer in the README is along the lines of what they intend to
say (judging by the previously pasted quotes).  The disclaimer on the
webpage clearly makes it illegal to use LS on a CD you intend to sell,
or in public concerts you sell tickets to (a goal that is specifically
mentioned on the About page I might add), so if that isn't the intention
it should be fixed.  There is no disclaimer on the source files at all,
so those are pure GPL with no commercial restrictions whatsoever.

What IS the license to LinuxSampler?  Who knows.  They certainly havn't
told us.

-DR-