COPYRIGHT

Anything QL Software or Programming Related.
swensont
Forum Moderator
Posts: 252
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 3:30 am
Location: SF Bay Area
Contact:

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by swensont »

> The 'SHRINK Travelling Salesman Program' will soon be OpenSource software. So no copyright is appropriate.

Why is it that Open Source is associated with "no copyright". Most Open Source software is copyrighted. It is public domain software that has no copyright (because the author has released the copyright).

Tim


User avatar
NormanDunbar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 2251
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 9:04 am
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Contact:

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by NormanDunbar »

I suppose, it might be possible to document the entire process, online - on a blog for example - using dates and the emails to show the progress of the development of the program. A sort of "how we developed it" diary.

Maybe get it publishrd in one of the many Open Source and/or Linux magazines.

Publish it as a "thesis", and article or whatever, online?

Just rattling a few thought off the top of my head. It might spark something?

Is there a TSP competition web site anywhere that it vould be published, first? Watch out if they want you to hand over copyright though?

The Linux Foundstion?

The Apache Foundation?

GNU or Free Software Foundation?


Cheers,
Norm.


Why do they put lightning conductors on churches?
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts

No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
stevepoole
Super Gold Card
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:03 pm

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by stevepoole »

The SHRINK TSP C++ code weighs in at some 65ko, but to use it there are some 11mo of associated files zipped.
Maybe the easiest way to publish it would be to put it on the QL Forum, together with the SuperBasic and C68 versions ?
That is, if the Forum could handle such big files. Is this possible ?
Regards,
Steve.


User avatar
Dave
SandySuperQDave
Posts: 2765
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Austin, TX
Contact:

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by Dave »

Steve,

Let's make this simple, because there are two things going on here.

1. You want to release the code under some kind of open license.
2. You want to retain copyright.
3. You want to be able to use your code in the future without being bound by the open source nature of the common licenses.

So you want others to be able to use the program without being forced to release your own sources for future developments, but allow others to use the sources as long as they share.

There are a couple of easy options I see:

1. Copyleft. This allows you to generally release a fork of the code, with options to select if people can use it in commercial software or not, and requiring attribution to hyou as the original authors.
2. GPL. This allows you to also release a fork of the code, and doesn't affect your main branch of the code - which you can still continue to develop privately. Either of them allows you to retain copyright to your own software and either optionally retain copyright or release copyright on the fork you publicly release.

Neither forces you to license your continuing code developments under your own personal fork.

Personally, I would use GPL v3 on a fork of the code, retain copyright, retain requirement of copyright attribution in future developments, maintain it so you get the benefit of any code improvements others make. You must realize that if you use the GPL'd improvements in your own code, those improvements must also be GPL'd but the main codebase without GPL'd mods doesn't have to be as long as it is a separate file.

It's not as complicated as it sounds. Given the obscurity of the code and purpose, likely only QLers would use it anyway.

Hope this helps.


stevepoole
Super Gold Card
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:03 pm

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by stevepoole »

Hi,
Thankyou to all the contributors to this thread. The information has indeed clarified the situation.
The 'Shrink TSP' team has therefore decided to release the program under a GPL license.
Best Wishes,
Steve.


stevepoole
Super Gold Card
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:03 pm

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by stevepoole »

Hi,
The 'SHRINK' Travelling Salesman Program has now been re-written in JavaScript, so it runs on any PCs, tablets or smartphones, under any OSes with any browser.

To use the demo, just click on the html file attatched to the email it is sent with ! No file saving or manipulations required.

The shrink team is currently finalising the code, and seeking advice from a javascript programmer, to slightly improve the user interface.

Otherwise the demo program is ready to freely distribute. Please PM me if you are interested...

Yes, it is quite possible to transcode QL superbasic programs to run on any device. The code is virtually the same, only the syntax differs !

Shrink is the only TSP program available (apart from on Apple devices !).

Steve Poole.


tcat
Super Gold Card
Posts: 633
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2013 5:27 pm
Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by tcat »

Most legislations consider algorithms ideas that cannot be patented (just like mathematic formulas, imagine Phytagoras of Samos would have patented his famous theorem, Bubble Sort, Bresenham's Line algorithm,...).
Hi,
I have thought that ideas are covered under `Intelectual property rights', so the author holds copyright on the source, while company holds the right on the product?
That is why s/w houses put non-disclosure and other agreements to their employees' contracts?
Tomas


stevepoole
Super Gold Card
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:03 pm

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by stevepoole »

Hi Tcat,
Yes, it is very difficult for inventors of any sort to protect any rights they might have.
Legislation indeed favours firms that exploit inventions, rather than the inventors themselves.

All Shrink TSP code is original work. The team will distribute the demo program free of any rights, except the 'intellectual property'.

Travelling Salesman Programs are important in many fields, and, like the WWW, should be public domain... which is our intention.

That is why we will be distributing it as an email attatchment, for any devices...

Please contact me if you are competent in Javascript prompts, as our interface needs a little tweaking.

Regards,
Steve Poole.


User avatar
XorA
Site Admin
Posts: 1358
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:31 am
Location: Shotts, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by XorA »

Shrink is the only TSP program available (apart from on Apple devices !).
eh? care to explain? this statement obviously not true!


stevepoole
Super Gold Card
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:03 pm

Re: COPYRIGHT

Post by stevepoole »

Hi Xora,
Maybe things have changed recently, but the last time I trawled the net, the only TSP available on smartphones was the 'Concorde' TSP for iphones...
And that was only a demo, which I accessed and thoroughly tried via a friend's phone.
If you know of any other TSP app, please can you tell us the references ?

The shrink demo we are finalising will in due course have a routine to capture client data, probably in the initial form of excel input.

There are at least five TSP programs which have been developed, but which are accessed via 'Concorde'.
This information was verified by UWaterloo TSP specialists, whom we have worked with...

Our objective is to make a reasonably fast and accurate program available to all on any device.
Regards,
Steve Poole.


Post Reply