[OSGeo-Board] localization of OSGEO website for China

[Frank Warmerdam]

Kevin Zhu wrote:
> Dear Board of OSGEO,
>  
> This is Kevin Zhu from Autodesk China. We are introducing MapGuide 
> OpenSource to Digital China company, which is Autodesk GIS distributor 
> here. Digital China is glad to work with us to promote MG OpenSource in 
> China, and they think the localization of the website is the first step, 
> because most of Chinese GIS users have difficulties to read/write 
> English. And Digital China is willing to help us localize the osgeo.org 
> website, especially  http://mapguide.osgeo.org/ .
>  
> I'm aware that OSGEO is an independent organization and own the 
> copyright of the website. So could you please let me know whether this 
> proposal is ok for you, and whom should I contact to proceed? Thanks.

Kevin,

Per the Terms Of Service of on the www.osgeo.org web site, the content of
the OSGeo web site is under the Creative Commons license.  I'm not really
that familiar with this licenses detailed terms, but my understanding is
that you can produce a deritive work such as a translation as long as you
provide attribution (ie. indicate where you get the original material from)
and provide the result under a similar license.  So, I think you can go ahead
with a translation without explicit permission.

However, I would encourage you to cooperate with the Web Committee (chaired
by Daniel Brookshier) to work out details of where translated content should
go.  If this is done, I think the content can just become part of the regular
web site and there should be no need to distinct attribution and such.

While I would be personally pleased to have Autodesk China and Digital
Chine assist in this work, I am also hopeful that we can eventually form a
more "grassroots" local community within China in a manner similar to recent
discussions of local chapters in places such as Japan, and Brazil.

PS. the above is just my opinion though it seems to me to be roughly in line
with previous board discussions of local chapters and the web site licensing.

Best regards,
-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGF, http://osgeo.org