[OSGeo-Discuss] Fwd: [Free-gis] ILWIS to become freeware

[e.zegers at knowmax.nl]

Hope I'm not sending too much ILWIS information to the OSGEO list but today on the ILWIS mailing list the following mail was posted regarding the switch to Open Source:

>ITC's GIS software ILWIS migrates to open source
>
>The Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS, http://www.itc.nl/ilwis) is a PC-based GIS & Remote Sensing software, developed by ITC. ILWIS comprises a complete package of image processing, spatial analysis and digital mapping. It is easy to learn and use; it has full on-line help, extensive tutorials for direct use in courses and 25 case studies of various disciplines.
>
>ILWIS software is renowned for its functionality, user-friendliness and low cost, and has established a wide user community over the years of its development. Even after its last release in 2005, its user community remained vivid, both within and outside ITC, however without a common base for further system development.
>
>In order to create better opportunities for the reuse and deployment of GIS functionality in a wider community, the ITC directorate has recently decided to make current ILWIS software free of charge and to migrate it as such to open source software under the 52°North initiative. 
>
>52°North is an open initiative that advances the development of cutting edge open source geospatial software. Leading research organizations in the field of geoinformatics (ifgi, conterra, ITC, ESRI) participate in 52°North's innovative development for establishing open spatial data infrastructures (SDI) and transformation of these into practical technological solutions. 52°North uses the GPL license, which implies that newly developed software should be open source as well. More information can be found at http://www.52north.org/.
>
>The migration has the following implications:
>- ILWIS software will be made freely available ('as-is' and free of charge) as open source software (binaries and source code) under the 52°North initiative (GPL license) as per July 1st, 2007. The current ILWIS download page (http://www.itc.nl/ilwis/downloads/default.asp) will be directed to a page at 52°North, which will be announced in due time.
>- ILWIS support by ITC has been stopped as per January 1st, 2007.
>
>In case you have further questions on the ILWIS migration please contact ITC's 52°North team:
>- Rob Lemmens (lemmens at itc.nl)
>- Martin Schouwenburg (schouwenburg at itc.nl).
>
>For questions on participation in 52°North, please contact info at 52north.org.

Regards,

Emil

-----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Arnulf Christl
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 9:56 AM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Fwd: [Free-gis] ILWIS to become freeware

Emil Zegers wrote:
> Just heard the info on 52 Degrees North website will not be available
> before july 2007 so I was a bit too enthusiastic.

Oh, its up again. See, right on the first page it says:

We host a collection of Java based web services implementations. Our products are published solely under the GNU General Public License (GPL) , but are also available - via a dual licensing model - to commercial users.

In my opinion as Free Software business advocate this message contains two semantic errors. 
1. The word "solely" means exclusively, singly, only. No buts there. 
2. The wording conveys that to make commercial use of the software the "dual licensing model" has to be chosen. This is not true as the GPL explicitly allows commercial use. 

This ambiguity is inherent to many aspects of 52N. 

Wait ... I just see that the site is under construction again:
http://52north.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=127

--- These pages are currently under construction. The information you find may be incomplete. Please find our product downloads at the respective Communities category. Thank you!--- 

So lets wait and see what happens, it is good to have development. 

Regards, Arnulf. 

> I hope things will work out with ILWIS going Open Source because ILWIS
> has much to offer.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Emil
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
> [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Arnulf Christl
> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 10:54 AM
> To: OSGeo Discussions
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Fwd: [Free-gis] ILWIS to become freeware
> 
> Emil Zegers wrote:
>> Hello list,
>>
>> >From a contact at ITC I've heard that ILWIS will become open source
>> under the GPL license.
> 
> Hello, 
> that is good to hear! 
> 
>> More info is available on the 52 Degrees North website
>> http://www.52north.org/
>>
>> Emil Zegers
> 
> FYI - there has been some discussion in the past that 52N is actually
> not an Open Source Project but registered as a for profit company in
> Germany. The website proposes some <judgmental> dubious </judgmental>
> ideas about licensing attesting a pretty closed shop mentality regarding
> governance. Currently the web site is down so it is difficult to find
> out more. 
> 
> The sections in the web site regarding double licensing as GPL and xxx?,
> governance, CLA, etc. have been changed a dozen times in the past year,
> they are still finding out themselves. They have repeatedly signaled
> interest in associating more with OSGeo and also appeared at last years
> Intergeo OSGeo's Open Source Park (I still owe a report). This was
> followed by a flame on the German mailing list when it became public
> that ESRI USA is shareholder of 52N. One of the other shareholders of
> 52N is conterra. As of summer 2006 ESRI Germany is major shareholder of
> conterra. If I was paranoid I would see ESRI taking over Open Source
> (whatever that would mean).
> 
> When I was talking to an ESRI representative (it says "Spatial Data
> Infrastructure Global Manager" on the bcard) and she was very interested
> in what they should or could do with 52N now. They simply do not know
> and want to learn. Maybe it is just that. I don't know. 
> 
> One of the few things that I do know is some of the people working in
> 52N projects - and they are very normal people doing good work. It is
> just not transparent at all what the plans for, with and around 52N are.
> As it is a business and not an Open Source project I see no way that
> this could change. 
> 
> Best regards, 
> Arnulf. 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
>> [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Sajith VK
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 4:46 AM
>> To: discuss at lists.osgeo.org
>> Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] Fwd: [Free-gis] ILWIS to become freeware
>>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> ILWIS, a popular GIS developed by the International Institute for
>> Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), The Netherlands,
> is
>> to be made freeware from July 1st, 2007.
>>
>> It may be good if we can persuade them to release it under GPL, or
>> any other Free software License. I think OSGeo is the right group to
>> communicate with ITC people and persuade them to release it as
>> a free software...
>>
> 
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