fischer-robert@cs.yale.edu (Robert Fischer) (12/21/90)
I've decided to release the C source code to The Vault on a controlled basis. The conditions follow: * You may not distribute the source to anyone else. Anyone who wants it must ask me directly, and I will supply it. * You may modify the source code as much as you like, as long as you do not distribute the modified version of the source. * If you wish to distribute the object code of your modified version, you must notify the user that it is a modified version. To do this, uncomment the line "#define MODIFIED" to the header file "types.h", and then modify the strings in the MODINFO dialog box in the resource file appropriately, in order to give your name, address, phone number, E-mail address and date of modification. You may distribute this modified version to up to 10 people, following the rules stated in the Licensing Agreement to The Vault, but others may _not_ distribute it. * Whenever you distribute a modified version, you must send the source and object code to me (Robert Fischer) with a short description of what your improvements are, and I will incorporate your improvements, if I feel that they improve The Vault, in the next version of The Vault. The more modular your improvements, the more easily I can incorporate them. If you plan to do make a change which would change the underlying structure of the program, please contact me first, so that we may figure out the best way to incorporate it in the end. I reserve the right to not incorporate your change, although I will try to incorporate changes which add more features and make The Vault easier to use. As an extreme example, I would not incorporate a change which made The Vault delete files as it backed them up. * If I decide to incorporate your source code, it becomes mine, but under the agreement that I will not sell it or make money off of it in any way. It's your responsibility that the source code you give me is actually yours to give to me. For example, I don't want to receive source code ripped off of Microsoft, use it, and then get Microsoft on my back... You retain the right to modify and distribute your changes, but may not distribute any part of the original Vault source code with them, nor may you reserve any rights to them which are incompatible with The Vault's licensing agreement. When they are incorporated officially in The Vault, they will be available to everyone as part of the object code, and to anyone who wants to see them as part of the source code. * If I incorporate your changes, I'll include your name somewhere in the program in a way that the user sees it when asking about information on The Vault. * If I decide not to incorporate your changes, I will write a letter to you stating as such within 15 days of receiving them. (If you leave no way to contact you, the source code becomes mine to do whatever I want with.) They then remain yours, and you may distribute the source code to your changes, but not the original source code to The Vault, freely. * To receive the source code to the latest version of The Vault, ask me specifically, saying you've read the Vault Alpha/Beta Tester's Agreement, version 1. My E-mail address is: fischer-robert@cs.yale.edu By this licensing system, I hope to make it possible for many people's improvements of The Vault to be easily incorporated into new versions. I hope to prevent a jumble of versions, few of which I know about or can locate easily, each with its own set of improvements. Since there will be a limited number of modified versions circulating, all of which clearly show themselves as such, I hope to avoid responsibility for bugs in other people's modifications, and I hope that the general public will not see new features of The Vault until they are thoroughly tested by me. That way, my name on the program will tell the general public that the new version of The Vault has the same high quality as the original. If you ask right now, please don't expect to receive the source code immediately. I'm still working on getting it to the Alpha test stage. Does anyone want to make a non-English (i.e. French, German, etc) version of The Vault? Anyone want to translate the manual? Or do Atari users abroad know English well enough to make that unnecessary? Does anyone have experience maintaining multiple versions for different languages? I'm thinking maybe I can put all strings I use together, so that a translator can easily find and change them. ---Bob -- | Robert Fischer | | Arpanet: <fischer-robert@cs.yale.edu> |