Article submitted to Slashdot re SQL-Ledger license change

[Ashley J Gittins <..hidden..>]

Hi All,
	As you may (or may not) be aware, with the release of SQL-Ledger 2.8.0 DWS 
has changed the license from the GPL to a new, bespoke license which appears 
aimed at preventing others from re-using his code.

While I and most others do not have an issue with that specifically, the 
problem is that the SQL-Ledger user community is not being informed of this 
change. Attempts to ask Dieter about the license change have been ignored, 
and posts to the SQL-Ledger mailing lists re the license change have been 
censored (Dieter is moderating the mailing lists, preventing news about 
security issues, LedgerSMB and license changes from ever getting through to 
the community). It's been over two weeks, and Dieter has not mentioned a 
thing about the relicensing.

I (and others here) want to let people know about these changes so that they 
can make an informed decision as to whether they are OK with the new license 
or would rather stay with a cleanly GPL-licensed system. I have written an 
article on the licensing issue and submitted it to http://slashdot.org/ 

I will submit it to other sites as well and encourage you to do so also if you 
agree with what we are trying to acheive, and the way in which I am doing it.

If you wish to help out and you have a slashdot account (or are keen to sign 
up for one), you can help push the story through the slashdot submission 
queue by voting it up here: http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=133637

If you would just like to read the article and see what the noise is about, 
you can go directly to it here:

http://www.purple.dropbear.id.au/sql-ledger-license-changed-no-longer-gpl-when-gpl-software-goes-bad

Feedback is welcome as well. I know that the tone of the article might not sit 
well with everyone, but I feel this is an important issue that affects a 
large community who is being kept in the dark (let alone those people who 
have submitted patches or translations to SQL-Ledger and now see them being 
relicensed without their consent). I'm not usually one to provoke response, 
but what is happening is unfair and in my opinion unethical.

If you feel similarly, your help in spreading the word would be appreciated.

-- 
Regards,
	Ashley J Gittins
	web: 	http://www.purple.dropbear.id.au
	jabber: ..hidden..