Re: [DotGNU]New addendum for MS redistributables

[Norbert Bollow]

Brandon Bremen <address@hidden> wrote:

>   Open Source wrote:
> > http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnnetdep/html/addendeula.asp
> 
> wow. So what does this updated license mean for us?

Besides being just another confirmation that Microsoft realizes
that open source hackers (*) have significant skills in making
software (that was meant to run on MS Windows systems only) run
on free systems, I think it means little for DotGNU directly, as
we have no intention to redistribute, or encourage the use of
any such "Redistributables" from Microsoft.

(What Microsoft wants to disallow is their runtime being bundled
with something like WINE and then being used to the effect of
creating software which on the box says "runs on just about any
operating system, namely..." instead of saying something like
"requires Microsoft Windows xyz".)

Greetings, Norbert.


(*) Even though I'm nowadays very much a "free software" person,
    my use of "open source" is intentional here, as this license
    addendum seems to specifically address something that is
    encouraged by the open source philosophy but discouraged by
    the free software philosophy.


-- 
A founder of the http://DotGNU.org project and Steering Committee member
Norbert Bollow, Weidlistr.18, CH-8624 Gruet   (near Zurich, Switzerland)
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