Hi everyone,
Have been thinking for a while now about viable ways to Open Source the
Flash based training material that has been in development from last
year.
After discussing this with a number of people for suggestions, feedback,
advise, etc, these are looking to be the general concepts that, as a
whole, would likely work to greatest effect:
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- Create a new Open Source license specifically for this. The er...
DDPL (?). Digital Distribution Public License.
- Release the source code to all the Flashes developed thus far,
through this license.
The DDPL would go something like this:
- People can use the source Flash files to create training content for
any kind of software they so choose to. We of course heartily recommend
Open Source Software. Everything released must also be under the DDPL.
- All content must be released unrestricted, etc, and the Flash source
files must be available for all. It's allowed to be included with paid
for products. No restrictions, etc.
- All content and Flash source files under the DDPL must also be
submitted to us, so we can decide whether or not to include them the
digitaldistribution.com site or not, etc. We can distribute through
resellers, etc, and no royalties are applicable.
Additionally:
- We make a few points really clear and simple on the website. The
primary reason for existence for the digitaldistribution.com site is to
educate end users, and additionally to create a revenue stream that can
be used to hire further developers for Open Source projects and be used
to the benefit of the Open Source Community as need be (i.e. hire
lawyers to fight against inappropriate patents, pay for advertisements
and research studies, etc).
- Open up the translation interface and mechanisms on the
digitaldistribution.com site so that people can come along and do
translations for their language as they feel like it.
- Have a support mechanism (in a way that's fair) so that resellers of
the tutorials are well funded to provide support for the communities of
their native languages, etc.
- Will probably work in something about "Membership fees for the
digitaldistribution.com site will be based upon the GDP for a nation",
so that for example, a person coming from Thailand isn't charged
anywhere near as much as a person in the US. Not sure how to make it
workable, but it's the start for addressing an important issue.
***********
Please remember this is just a start and might totally change or be
dropped entirely, depending on whether it looks to be workable and
beneficial, etc. Now looking for thoughts and feedback on this from a
wider audience, so hoping people have good ideas, beneficial directions,
etc.
If everything is looking good, then we'll look to ensuring this is a
workable Open Source license, etc. (www.opensource.org)
:-)
Regards and best wishes,
Justin Clift
--
"My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those
who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the
first group; there was less competition there."
- Indira Gandhi