I just can't get sleep before this is done:
Today (well: yesterday) I got the 1.3.11 kernel patch from our
ftp server. And what do I see:
: /* ******************************************************************** =
*/
: /* * SCC.C - Linux driver for Z8530 based HDLC cards for AX.25 * =
*/
: @@ -11,34 +10,45 @@
:
: /* ********************************************************************
:=20
: - (c) 1995 by Joerg Reuter DL1BKE
: + (c) Hans Alblas PE1AYX 1993,1994,1995
: + Released for GNU
: + portions (c) 1995 by Joerg Reuter DL1BKE
: + (c) 1993 Guido ten Dolle PE1NNZ
:
: - portions (c) 1994 Hans Alblas PE1AYX
: - and (c) 1993 Guido ten Dolle PE1NNZ
: -
: - for the complete copyright notice see >> Copying.Z8530DRV <<
:
: *********************************************************************=
/
fact:
1. I did not know Hans wanted to publish his modifications. He did not=20
ask me although he got my email address, can reach me by packet radio=20
and AMPR TCP/IP, and lives only about 20km away from me.=20
2. The driver i s under the GNU GPL already (*) and so Hans is free to=20
modify my work (as you know).
3. BUT: With no term of the GPL Hans is allowed to change the
copyright notice of the driver. He may claim that his version is
"derived work", but obviously almost every part of the driver
is my work, just (as far as I can see now)
- a new KISS encoder
- the buffer handling system
- some minor changes to the line discipline (setting flags)
- few changes in the initialization of the Z8530
are his. I implemented his buffer management scheme some
time ago (as seen in the credits), I discarded his KISS encoder=20
for several reasons. The init changes are no real changes and show=20
poor knowledge of Z8530 programming. The line discipline --- well,
that could be an idea.
This does not make a new program, thus I count it as software
piracy!
4. After all that work:
: Thanks to:
: -
: + DL1BKE Joerg - for some good ideas
:
SOME good ideas --- all that work, alpha testing, flame wars,
trouble shooting, documentation... only "some good ideas"!
5. I wonder why he removed the credits:
: - KA9Q Phil - from whom we stole the mbuf-structure
They are under the GPL anyway...
: - PA3AYX Hans - who rewrote the memory management and some minor,
: - but nevertheless useful changes
sic!
: - DL8MBT Flori - for support
: - DG0FT Rene - for the BayCom USCC support
without these people the driver would not be!
I bet I know why he removed the following part:
: - NB -- if you find errors, change something, please let me know
: - first before you distribute it... And please don't touch
: - the version number. Just replace my callsign in
: - "v1.8.dl1bke" with your own. Just to avoid confusion...
: -
: - J=F6rg Reuter DL1BKE
The whole patch contains of more lines he removed from the source
than his own code. =20
(*) some words on the history of the driver:=20
PE1NNZ ported the PE1CHL's (Rob Janssen's) SCC driver and some (other)=20
parts from the KA9Q package for DOS to Linux. For some unknown reasons=20
he did not develope that driver any further so I tried to keep on
track with it myself. I published it, and got was flamed for the
KA9Q copyright instead of GPL immediately. Then I asked Rob if I could
put I under the GPL, and he said "no" (Rob, I understand now...). So
I had to rewrite quite a lot of that thing, it still has some similarities=
=20
in its structure, but it is my work (I hope I haven't overseen a=20
function?).=20
The driver was bundled with some utilities, so the file "Z8530.Copying"=20
containes the disclaimer of warranty and so on, my copyright notice and=20
some further warnings that it was beta software, and although
you got the licence to use the driver you need an Amateur Radio Licence
to connect a radio to the z8530 card and start to transmit... And
finally a reference to the version of the GPL found in /linux/COPYING.
Alan Cox than managed to get the driver into the 1.3.x-kernel series,
but forgot to copy Z8530.Copying.
I still develope that driver, get some bug reports, try to help the
people to solve them (as far as possible, most times impossible since
I do not have their hardware), I wrote utilities, documentation.
And then someone wants to get all the credits.
So, Linus, please include my version of the driver (1.8.dl1bke) to
the next kernel update again, with my fixes I sent a while ago.
This was definetely the last project I deliver source code. That is
too much!
Sorry for the typos, it is 4:40 local time in the mornig.
Joerg Reuter=09ampr-net: dl1bke@db0pra.ampr.org
=09=09AX-25 : DL1BKE @ DB0LJ.#RPL.DEU.EU
=09=09Internet: jreuter@lykos.tng.oche.de
PS1: I'm off next week...
PS2: Linus, could you send me an ACK when you have read this?