Yeah, you'd rather not read this, right? Well I didn't want to write it either but on the subject of legalities you may find this worth reading anyway. It does contain some insight into the functionality of the V.I.C. and the problems the V.I.C. addresses. The essence of the software source legalities is that of GPL. Though some may view GPL as a form of "restricted/constrained software" (in that you are "NOT allowed, in your distribution of it, to NOT make available its open source and your changes to its open source"), I do not share that view of GPL being restrictive due it being insistently "open and available". I still can NOT figure out how any contract/agreement where you give up your constitutional rights, is legal.
Legal Copyrights and Patents are a product of mans imagination
and produce constraints often for the purpose of financial
profit. However, such ownership constraints can become,
or contribute to, such a legal mess that either nothing is gained
financially or profit potential is greatly reduced. In addition,
there is the man created concept of piracy where legal
copyrights and patents are ignored. Relating this to the V.I.C. :
The profit potential from V.I.C. use exceeds, beyond calculation,
the profit potential from constraining the V.I.C. to only those
whom have paid for it or practice piracy. The greatest potential
to gain from the V.I.C., and use of, will only be achieved without
constraints restricting use.
It has always been the intent to make the V.I.C. available as
Free-ware. Specifically, the application tool set of the
V.I.C.. The V.I.C. is based on concepts found in nature and
applied within the inherent constraints of computers. The V.I.C.
is built by using long known programming concepts integrated into
a small (nine commands) and versatile tool set. If there is
anything new here, it might only be the integration but even this
could be debatable.
The V.I.C. makes use of data/knowledge/definition bases and
processes defined in scripts, where the data/knowledge/definition
bases will likely contain such scripts. The
data/knowledge/definition bases and scripts are a product of
those whom produce them. Of course, these producers are able to
place whatever use constraints they wish upon the
data/knowledge/definition bases and scripts they create. However,
any data/knowledge/definition bases and scripts
written with intent to inherently constrain the use of the V.I.C.
(via copyrights and/or patents), will be viewed and treated as a
contradiction of the efforts and intent of producing the V.I.C.
(i.e. defining/creating the english language and its syntax to place
constraints on its use, would leave only those whom pay for
it, legally allowed to use it. And this would contradict the intent and
purpose of creating the language to begin with. The V.I.C., with
it's small set of commands, makes it much easier to produce a
complete, or near complete, set of general or non-specific
processes or cycles.)
In any case of such intentional inherent constraint, the status of
the V.I.C. automatically changes from free-ware to Commercial-ware (in
regards to the offending party(s)), with a royalty to pay being nothing
less than: twice the amount of Investment + Profit and/or Profit from
preventing use of the V.I.C., and directed at such party(s) creating
and/or profiting from such intentional constraint(s) to legally pay.
The solution objective is intended to remove, and keep removed,
fabricated illusion based legal constraints. In other words: Don't
waist your time with intent to restrict use of the V.I.C., whether
it be for direct profit from use or indirect profit from non-use.
There is simply far to much benefit to gain from the unrestricted
use of the V.I.C. to waist with efforts to restrict use.
To clarify: Data/Knowledge/definition bases and scripts that are
specific to the integration of a specified and specific
application program set and/or specified and specific
objective(s) are fine and constrainable for whatever purpose, so
long as they do not constrain the evolutional growth and use of
the V.I.C. (i.e. in the field of non-linear video editing, the
Newtek Video Toaster Flyer technology is constrainable by Newtek,
but it does not restrict others from producing non-linear editors
through other methods.)
The Importance of communicating and understanding the purpose of
the Free-ware Vs. Commercial-ware condition, is in knowing:
by the inherent nature and functionality of the V.I.C., it
is possible to create such data/knowledge/definition bases and
scripts, and apply the constraints of copyrights and/or patents on
them, that would inherently restrict V.I.C. use and evolution.
And in doing so, contradict the efforts and intent of producing the
V.I.C. Also, Understand it is the intent, in developing and evolving the
V.I.C. and its use, to develop such data/knowledge/definitions and
script of the complete set of non-specific possible processes and
cycles. And to make these data/knowledge/definitions and
script available under the same conditions as the V.I.C.
application, of being free-ware. Such work is considered part of
the application tool set objective. Contributions to such an
effort are welcomed and encouraged and credit shall be given
where credit is due.
Although the concept of shareware is not allowable or intended,
the concept of registered V.I.C. user is allowable under these
conditions.
1) There is no such thing as a registered version of the
software. Only users are registered.
2) There is no alteration done to the software in the process of
becoming a registered user.
3) Only Non-Profit organizations supporting the evolution of the
V.I.C. and its use may act as a registration point. And there is,
or exist a real effort to establish, a central registered user
database to be accessible by all qualified/registered registration
points.
4) Any fees/dues/contributions received from registration will be
in return for an equal and reasonable level of support. Of which
a reasonable percentage may be used for support expenses (i.e.
newsletters, postage, etc..)
5) The registered user database will not be used in anyway, shape
or form to harm anyone or to harm the evolution of the V.I.C. and
it's use. Also, the registered user database will not be shared
(sold, rented, or given) to any individual, organization, or
company outside the non-profit organizations registered as
registration point, without the consent of the individual
registered users. And of which only the consenting
registered users name(s) and address(s) are given. Also the
recipient of such a list must only use it to
inform users of the recipients relative supporting products
and/or services. The list is not to be used by the recipient in
any other way. Also, any consideration for such a list can only
be accepted in the form of a voluntary contribution. And such
contributions are to be used in giving additional support to the
registered users.
6) The distribution of funds received from user registration,
need not go beyond the given registration/support point so long
as those registering at a given support point receive a fair and
reasonable share of support. To encourage world, group and
individual support is the why behind establishing a
central registered user database. It is through the collected
registered user database that all registration points know how
to contact all registered users for support exchange. And through
the collected consenting user database that additional funds
(other than registration) may be obtained. In consideration of
funds generated by the consenting user database, there will
evolve a mathematical calculation, relative to the consenting
user database, to use in the reasonable distribution of such
support funds among the world, group and individual support
points.
1) No source code that is copyrighted/patented for restricted/constrained
use shall be used in producing the V.I.C. There is plenty of
non-restricted source code to use in producing the V.I.C. thanks
to such organizations as the Free Software Foundation. Also, code
use is not limited to using existing source code, but to produce
the source code with the intent and effort to make it
non-restricted in use.
2) Source code of the V.I.C. will be made available to and
perhaps through such organizations supporting the free software
concept. The source code will be made freely available but
protected (via copyright(s) and if needed patent(s)) in order to
protect it against constraints contradicting the intent and
effort behind the V.I.C.
3) The intent and effort behind the creation of the source code
and application is to establish consistent functionality and use.
With this in mind, effort is to be applied in meeting this
functionality consistency, in regards to producing variations of
the V.I.C., in that such data/knowledge/definitions and scripts
shall be included in any released version, to allow the given
version to meet functionality consistency. Software does evolve
but any alteration(s) to the V.I.C. functionality will only be such
alteration(s) that addresses and corrects exception failures and
does not constrain/break previous working
data/knowledge/definitions and scripts. In other words: such
alterations will only improve the integration of the programming
concepts used within the V.I.C. and as such, improve the Virtual
Interaction abilities of the V.I.C.. Such improvement will be
shared with all A.S.A.P.
4) To satisfy the problems encountered in developing versions
for the different platforms, let it be understood:
a) The primary concept of the V.I.C. is of Virtual Interaction
and connection. With this in mind let it be understood the
V.I.C. functionality is NOT to be limited to the lowest
denominator. Each platform version should take
advantage of the limitation ceiling of the given platform. (i.e.
single-tasking and filename size ceiling of the old XT's may
not be able to take advantage of multi-tasking within itself and
files used by the V.I.C. may need to be converted to the 8.3. But
given a better understanding of the V.I.C. functionality, it's
clear all versions of the V.I.C. can translate, given the proper
data/knowledge/definitions and scripts. And although an XT may
not be able to have more than one active V.I.C. "cell" running at
a time within itself, there will be nothing stopping it from
creating a multi-cell structure or passing, via connection to
other machines, instructions to help build and run a multi-cell
structure.)
b) The functionality of a single V.I.C. "cell" is very much
single-tasking or sequential in operation. Because the V.I.C. is
built by integrating long known programming concept (concepts not
platform specific) there is nothing platform specific about the
general design of the V.I.C. (i.e. batch files are sequential
regardless of the platform they run on. However, on a
multi-tasking platform a batch file can spawn off many
application to run simultaneous while the single-tasking platform
is inherently sequential in what it can do. Either way the batch
file is sequential.)
c) For input and output direction and redirection of
platforms and platform specific software that does not
include the ability to communicate and control applications
through a "side-door", then either this limitation will be
treated as a platform/software specific limitation or someone
will need to create the utility/device/plug-in or whatever that
will enable such "side-door" access. (i.e. on the Amiga,
programmers have the option to include an AREXX port for their
program. A port that enables the program to receive and send
instructions and data to other applications [AREXX use is not
required to make use of these ports but often is, due the added
functionality of AREXX]. And before AREXX, programs were created
enabling an application to be controlled in a manner
consistent with a one-way side-door concept, though perhaps just
controlling/automating the use of the user interface of the
application. On other platforms the concept of plug-ins
and the like can add functionality to an application. With
this in mind, it should be possible to create such "plug-ins" to
make available such "side-door" access to an application. But in
any event, this side-door creating is not to be part of the
functionality built into the V.I.C. but an external, to the
V.I.C., program/device/plug-in or whatever.)
d) Let it be understood: the objective of the V.I.C. is to enable
Virtual Interaction connection to happen using must-exist
functionality. Any optional functionality is best left to what
already exist or can be created external to the V.I.C. We are not
inventing or re-inventing the wheel, but creating/producing the
functionality to allow the wheels to be attached to and usable by
many different things.
Copyright © 1996, 2001 by Timothy V. Rue
Free-ware vs. Commercial-ware
User Registration, Not Shareware
Source Code and the Development of the V.I.C.