New rules for Linux contributors?
p2pnet.net News:- Under a proposed new system, contributions to the Linux kernel would only be accepted from developers who agree to submit code under “appropriate” open-source licenses.
The news comes in a ZDNet story here which says the new Developer’s Certificate of Origin would ensure acknowledgement is given to developers for contributions and derivative works, and to those contributors who “receive submissions and pass them, unchanged, up the kernel tree,” accroding to the Open Source Development Labs, which promotes Linux’ adoption and for whom Linux creator Linus Torvalds works.
The DCO would eliminate questions and legal battles over the origin of Linux code contributions, says ZDNet, referring to the seemingly never-ending dispute between the SCO Group, “which owns a disputed amount of Unix intellectual property,” and IBM which, says SCO, violated its Unix contract by moving Unix technology to Linux that it should have kept secret.
The proposal is currently being discussed by kernel developers, but could be adopted in time for the development of the Linux 2.7 kernel, states an IDG News Service report here, going on to quote Torvalds as saying:
“I think we’re going to do it, although realistically it probably won’t be all up and running until maybe a couple of months from now.”
The report points out that Torvalds has been subpoenaed as part of the SCO versus IBM lawsuit and says while he admitted SCO’s claims have provided a “big impetus” for the changes, they were also designed to reassure Linux users and stakeholders who were not involved in the kernel development process. “People who don’t understand how I interact with the people I work with literally feel better just having it down more as a documented process,” he said.
The proposed changes will make it easier for companies that contribute to the Linux kernel to standardize their development process and “will placate some CEOs (chief executive officers) and CTOs (chief technology officers) waiting for the outcome of SCO’s legal claims against IBM,” the IDGÂ report has Stacey Quandt, an analyst Quandt Analytics, saying, adding:
“However, Torvalds’ plan does not address questions these executives may have about code that has already been contributed to the Linux kernel, Quandt said. “This limitation will still leave some senior executives on the sidelines potentially beyond the outcome of SCO’s case’.”
