[OSGeo-Discuss] on Google Code and export restrictions

[Alex Mandel]

P Kishor wrote:
> On 5/27/08, Chris Puttick <chris.puttick at thehumanjourney.net> wrote:
>>  ----- "Frank Warmerdam" <warmerdam at pobox.com> wrote:
>>  > Dave Patton wrote:
>>  > > Frank Warmerdam wrote:
>>  > >
>>  > >> I agree that we ought to consider developing a similar policy to
>>  > >> Apache's.  I'll add an agenda item for the next board meeting to
>>  > >> start digging into this.
>>  > >
>>  > > One item for discussion would be what takes place
>>  > > when a project enters incubation. Do they "opt in"
>>  > > to the OSGeo policy? If they don't, are they then
>>  > > excluded from being an OSGeo project? Can they
>>  > > "opt in", and yet maintain their own project
>>  > > infrastructure (website, svn, download links, etc.)
>>  > > on servers in another country, and have access
>>  > > to that infrastructure be subject to policies that
>>  > > may conflict with the OSGeo policy?
>>  >
>>  > Dave,
>>  >
>>  > Projects going through incubation are allowed to maintain their own
>>  > distinct infrastructure, wherever they want for the most part.  But
>>  > they are still board as a project to follow OSGeo policy and obey
>>  > applicable US laws even if their download server (for instance) is
>>  > not in the US.
>>  >
>>  > Best regards,
>>  > --
>>  > ---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
>>  > 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 OSGeo,
>>  > http://osgeo.org
>>  >
>>  > _______________________________________________
>>  > Discuss mailing list
>>  > Discuss at lists.osgeo.org
>>  > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>
>>
>> Then I respectfully suggest, insofar as some recent US laws are at a level of paranoia that might prevent some open source software from actually being open. that OSGeo should consider reconstituting itself in a country that is less totalitarian in its attitudes.
> 
> 
> Easy now. Prefixing "respectfully" to assertions of "paranoia" and
> "totalitarian" to a country whose funding and work gave rise to
> MapServer is not a good strategy. In fact, it would be difficult to
> conceive of open source itself without the contributions of this
> "totalitarian" and "paranoid" country.
> 
> National-level security-related policy decisions are not usually made
> with consideration of their impact on every conceivable issue. The key
> is to constructively find a way around it, which many on this list are
> trying to do. I am sure OSGeo is not the first group to face this
> situation.
> 
> For starters, I am asking around with my policy-contacts to see what
> light they can shed on this.
> 
> 
> 
>>  Regards
>>
>>  Chris
>>

I seem to recall other projects dealing with this in the past too. Like 
there were 2 different netscape downloads one for in the US and one for 
outside the US possibly with the ssl library removed due to restrictions 
on encryption tool export.

Alex