[Incubator] Considering Portable GIS as an OSGeo community project

Thu Sep 7 07:02:00 PDT 2017

We actually found that adding the license headers is not strictly required
these days - but wise so people do not accidentally copy things without
knowing what license is around. But there is no legal need to have the
header with a constantly updated copyright etc...

For more information see here:
- GeoTools: GeoTools Header Policy Updated
<https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwj_wv6BnpPWAhUS82MKHZrPC5EQFggoMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgeotoolsnews.blogspot.com%2F2016%2F06%2Fgeotools-header-policy-updated.html&usg=AFQjCNHWd3sOZ_u5dEyw7-5B_VOrLzg8DA>

We actually had to go to osgeo legal council and figure that stuff out,
apparently all our header maintenance traditions predate a treaty and are
left over from the 80s.

--
Jody Garnett

On 7 September 2017 at 03:04, Jo Cook <jocook at astuntechnology.com> wrote:

> Hi Jody,
>
> Thanks for these suggestions. I'm in the middle of implementing the
> changes you've suggested- I've updated the license and included a section
> in the contributors document about GPLv3. I think the other thing I need to
> do is add the license header to all my batch files, which I will start
> working on asap.
>
> Jo
>
> On Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 12:15 AM, Jody Garnett <jody.garnett at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Looks good Jo, I will be happy to make the motion in a bit.
>>
>> I like the friendly tone for CONTRIBUTING.md file, can I recommend making
>> a note somewhere in there that people should contribute their changes to
>> the project using a GPL3 license.
>>
>> Sometimes groups like Apache like to have a seperate license for
>> contributions that is different from the license used for distribution.
>> GPL3 tends to serve both these needs - but your contributors should be
>> really clear they are providing the project the code / fix / change with a
>> GPL license so there are no tears later. One trick I use to double check
>> consent is to ask these pull requests to include adding their name to the a
>> CONTRIBUTORS list in the documentation - both so I can credit them in
>> release notes and have a list of participants.
>>
>> It also looks like your LICENSE file is just the header, rather than a
>> full GPL license.  For complete text see:
>> - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt
>> - https://github.com/IQAndreas/markdown-licenses
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jody Garnett
>>
>> On 28 August 2017 at 10:02, Jo Cook <jocook at astuntechnology.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I've added a contributing guidelines page and moved the license and
>>> changelog to the root of the portable gis repository at
>>> https://gitlab.com/archaeogeek/portable-gis. Does it all look OK?
>>>
>>> Thanks to everyone who has offered to assist with Portable GIS- it's
>>> really appreciated.
>>>
>>> All the best
>>>
>>> Jo
>>>
>>> On Sun, Aug 27, 2017 at 6:34 PM, Landon Blake <
>>> sunburned.surveyor at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> If I can help Jo with set-up as a community project, let me know. I'm a
>>>> Windows user...so I can help with the testing of releases. I'd also be
>>>> interested in learning more about how this works. :]
>>>>
>>>> Landon
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Aug 24, 2017 at 4:26 AM, Jo Cook <jocook at astuntechnology.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Jeff,
>>>>>
>>>>> There's no relationship as such between Portable GIS and OSGeo4W- they
>>>>> are really complimentary projects with different objectives. The way I see
>>>>> it, Portable GIS provides a portable (hence the name) set of open source
>>>>> geospatial tools that don't require installation and can be taken from
>>>>> windows computer to windows computer on a USB stick,compared to OSGeo4W,
>>>>> which provides a streamlined way of installing the tools on a machine. They
>>>>> have some packages in common, but not all (I include PostgreSQL/PostGIS and
>>>>> GeoServer alongside QGIS, Mapserver etc, but otherwise a much more limited
>>>>> set of tools than OSGeo4W due to space considerations).
>>>>>
>>>>> When OSGeo4W first came out (believe it or not, Portable GIS predates
>>>>> it) there was some discussion about the possible relationship between the
>>>>> two packages at that point, but like I say, they have different objectives
>>>>> and exist in harmony together.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hope that clears things up- I'll add some disambiguation to the readme
>>>>> and website next time I do an update!
>>>>>
>>>>> Jo
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 9:16 PM, Jeffrey Johnson <ortelius at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Just curious about the relationship to osgeo4w
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 1:06 PM, Cameron Shorter
>>>>>> <cameron.shorter at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> > Hi Jo,
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > I'm really excited to see you pushing Portable GIS forward. I think
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> > having a windows based OSGeo distribution is a great complement to
>>>>>> > OSGeo-Live, as OSGeo-Live is tied into (and limited to) being a
>>>>>> linux
>>>>>> > distribution.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > I also see potential for collaboration between OSGeo-Live and
>>>>>> Portable GIS.
>>>>>> > Eg, the OSGeo-Live Project Overviews could note whether the project
>>>>>> is
>>>>>> > available on Portable GIS.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > We could also potentially align OSGeo-Live and Portable GIS release
>>>>>> > schedules (which would help with aligning documentation).
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Re packaging, have you considered building with cygwin (which is
>>>>>> Open
>>>>>> > Source)?
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > I'm happy to answer questions about license. While I'm not a
>>>>>> lawyer, I have
>>>>>> > been involved in plenty of licensing selection discussions,
>>>>>> including for
>>>>>> > OSGeo-Live.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Re Portable GIS licensing, I assume your build tools are not
>>>>>> embedded in the
>>>>>> > final Portable GIS software distribution? That would mean that the
>>>>>> final
>>>>>> > software distribution does not inherit to the license of the build
>>>>>> tools. So
>>>>>> > I suspect you should be ok to select what ever license you choose
>>>>>> for the
>>>>>> > build tools. That is how we have approached the OSGeo-Live build
>>>>>> scripts,
>>>>>> > which are LGPL. (Documentation is licensed under CC-By for Project
>>>>>> Overviews
>>>>>> > and CC-By-SA for Quickstarts).
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Warm regards, Cameron
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > On 24/8/17 1:22 am, Jo Cook wrote:
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Hi Jody and list,
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Having had a bit of a think about licensing, I had previously
>>>>>> chosen GPLv3
>>>>>> > *for my components alone* and I think I'm happy with that. As far
>>>>>> as I can
>>>>>> > tell, I can license my modifications alone with GPLv3 regardless of
>>>>>> what the
>>>>>> > software projects themselves are. I've had a look at how OSGeo Live
>>>>>> works,
>>>>>> > but that doesn't help much (https://live.osgeo.org/en/cop
>>>>>> yright.html). Is
>>>>>> > there anyone on the list who could help me out with this- basically
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> > confirm or deny?
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Thanks
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Jo
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 8:55 AM, Jo Cook <
>>>>>> jocook at astuntechnology.com> wrote:
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> Hi Jody,
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> That all sounds really encouraging and yes I'd be happy to go
>>>>>> through the
>>>>>> >> process with you and the team. We (Astun) potentially have another
>>>>>> project
>>>>>> >> that we'd like to submit for consideration too, and I'll be in
>>>>>> touch
>>>>>> >> separately about that one.
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> Regarding autoit, no you don't need to purchase anything to use
>>>>>> it. Having
>>>>>> >> thought about this in some more detail, I think I will try to move
>>>>>> away from
>>>>>> >> that dependency and try to find an open source alternative but
>>>>>> that will
>>>>>> >> obviously take some time to work through, so it would be good if
>>>>>> we could
>>>>>> >> start working through the process of becoming a community project
>>>>>> while that
>>>>>> >> is ongoing.
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> I'll make some tweaks to the repository to make sure that the
>>>>>> various docs
>>>>>> >> are easy to find, and then maybe come back to you when that's
>>>>>> ready. I want
>>>>>> >> to think a little about whether I'm using the most appropriate
>>>>>> license too.
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> Regards
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> Jo
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> On Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 6:12 PM, Jody Garnett <
>>>>>> jody.garnett at gmail.com>
>>>>>> >> wrote:
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Glad to hear from you Jo!
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Although the "OSGeo community" initiative was started last year,
>>>>>> we have
>>>>>> >>> not had a chance to try it out yet (perhaps due to lack of
>>>>>> publicity). If
>>>>>> >>> you are patient with us we would enjoy going through this process
>>>>>> with you,
>>>>>> >>> and revising our notes as we go.
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> The wiki OSGeo Community Projects page has the following recipe:
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> If your project would like to join OSGeo the technology
>>>>>> initiative asks:
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> That your project is geospatial (or directly supports geospatial
>>>>>> >>> applications);
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Data & doc projects would of course need an appropriate data or
>>>>>> >>> documentation license
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> That your project is open source
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Uses an OSI approved open source license
>>>>>> >>> That you know where your source code came from, and that care is
>>>>>> taken
>>>>>> >>> when accepting external contributions
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Participatory (accepts pull-requests)
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Along with a few notes on how we can quickly check the LICENSE,
>>>>>> >>> CONTRIBUTING, README files.
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> autoit
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> Your question about autoit is tricky, it is freely distributable
>>>>>> - so not
>>>>>> >>> a barrier to use. We are actually in a similar spot for the
>>>>>> GeoTools and
>>>>>> >>> GeoServer projects. When they were first created Java was not
>>>>>> open source so
>>>>>> >>> there were some very heated discussions with the gvSig team on if
>>>>>> you could
>>>>>> >>> ever make a free software solution using Java.
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> But we are an open source software foundation (not at a free
>>>>>> software
>>>>>> >>> foundation) allowing GeoTools, GeoServer .. and by extension
>>>>>> autoit.
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> This question of Java still troubles us, while Java is now open
>>>>>> source,
>>>>>> >>> the image processing library that was included in Java is still
>>>>>> only free to
>>>>>> >>> distribute. This causes problems for the OSGeo Live and uDig
>>>>>> projects.
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> I would be concerned though if people need to purchase autoit in
>>>>>> order to
>>>>>> >>> work on your project? There is a slight difference between being
>>>>>> required to
>>>>>> >>> purchase a tool, and optionally using a tool. For GeoTools we can
>>>>>> "work
>>>>>> >>> with" the Oracle Database (if user installs the right jars they
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> >>> downloaded from Oracle) or ArcSDE (if the user installs the right
>>>>>> jars they
>>>>>> >>> have purchased from ESRI). However if a contributor is not in
>>>>>> possession of
>>>>>> >>> these artifacts they can still work on the project as a whole.
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> --
>>>>>> >>> Jody Garnett
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>> On 22 August 2017 at 06:25, Jo Cook <jocook at astuntechnology.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> Hi Incubator List,
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> As you may or may not know, I have been running a small project
>>>>>> called
>>>>>> >>>> Portable GIS (GIS on a USB stick for Windows) for a number of
>>>>>> years. The
>>>>>> >>>> basic premise is to provide a no-install, no-config version of
>>>>>> many of the
>>>>>> >>>> common open source GIS projects on a USB stick.
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> Recently I built a website for the project (portablegis.xyz)
>>>>>> and I'm
>>>>>> >>>> working through the process of documenting and publishing all the
>>>>>> >>>> configuration changes that need to be made to make projects
>>>>>> portable (mainly
>>>>>> >>>> batch files to be honest). This also includes the source code
>>>>>> for building
>>>>>> >>>> the menu and installer files.
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> This is on Gitlab at https://gitlab.com/archaeogeek/portable-gis
>>>>>> so that
>>>>>> >>>> I can now start accepting contributions. Note that this
>>>>>> repository does not
>>>>>> >>>> contain the actual source code for the projects such as QGIS, it
>>>>>> just
>>>>>> >>>> contains the files that need to be adjusted to make it work
>>>>>> portably.
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> One of my colleagues has suggested that Portable GIS could be an
>>>>>> OSGeo
>>>>>> >>>> Community Project, so here I am, asking about it :-)
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> My main concern is that autoit, which I used for building the
>>>>>> menu, is
>>>>>> >>>> freeware rather than opensource (see
>>>>>> https://www.autoitscript.com/site/ and
>>>>>> >>>> specifically https://www.autoitscript.com/a
>>>>>> utoit3/docs/license.htm). My gut
>>>>>> >>>> feeling is that this bars Portable GIS from being truly open
>>>>>> source, and
>>>>>> >>>> hence not suitable for being an OSGeo Community Project. Would
>>>>>> that be
>>>>>> >>>> correct?
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> If this was the only bar to entry, I could certainly look at
>>>>>> alternative
>>>>>> >>>> options for building the menu.
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> Regards
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> Jo
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> --
>>>>>> >>>> Jo Cook
>>>>>> >>>> t:+44 7930 524 155/twitter:@archaeogeek
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> --
>>>>>> >>>> Astun Technology Ltd, The Coach House, 17 West Street, Epsom,
>>>>>> Surrey,
>>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+%0D+%3E%3E%3E%3E+KT18+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>> >>>> KT18 7RL, UK
>>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+%0D+%3E%3E%3E%3E+KT18+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>> >>>> t:+44 1372 744 009 w: astuntechnology.com twitter:@astuntech
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> iShare - enterprise geographic intelligence platform
>>>>>> >>>> GeoServer, PostGIS and QGIS training
>>>>>> >>>> Helpdesk and customer portal
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> Company registration no. 5410695. Registered in England and
>>>>>> Wales.
>>>>>> >>>> Registered office: 120 Manor Green Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8LN
>>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=120+Manor+Green+Road,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT19+8LN&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>> VAT no.
>>>>>> >>>> 864201149.
>>>>>> >>>>
>>>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> >>>> Incubator mailing list
>>>>>> >>>> Incubator at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>> >>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/incubator
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> --
>>>>>> >> Jo Cook
>>>>>> >> t:+44 7930 524 155/twitter:@archaeogeek
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > --
>>>>>> > Jo Cook
>>>>>> > t:+44 7930 524 155/twitter:@archaeogeek
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > --
>>>>>> > Astun Technology Ltd, The Coach House, 17 West Street, Epsom,
>>>>>> Surrey, KT18
>>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT18+%0D+%3E+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>> > 7RL, UK
>>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT18+%0D+%3E+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>> > t:+44 1372 744 009 w: astuntechnology.com twitter:@astuntech
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > iShare - enterprise geographic intelligence platform
>>>>>> > GeoServer, PostGIS and QGIS training
>>>>>> > Helpdesk and customer portal
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > Company registration no. 5410695. Registered in England and Wales.
>>>>>> > Registered office: 120 Manor Green Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8LN
>>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=120+Manor+Green+Road,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT19+8LN&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>> VAT no.
>>>>>> > 864201149.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>>>> > Incubator mailing list
>>>>>> > Incubator at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>> > https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/incubator
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > --
>>>>>> > Cameron Shorter
>>>>>> > M +61 419 142 254
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>>>> > Incubator mailing list
>>>>>> > Incubator at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>> > https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/incubator
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> *Jo Cook*
>>>>> t:+44 7930 524 155 <+44%207930%20524155>/twitter:@archaeogeek
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Astun Technology Ltd, The Coach House, 17 West Street, Epsom, Surrey,
>>>>> KT18 7RL, UK
>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT18+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>>
>>>>> t:+44 1372 744 009 <+44%201372%20744009> w: astuntechnology.com
>>>>> twitter:@astuntech <https://twitter.com/astuntech>
>>>>>
>>>>> iShare - enterprise geographic intelligence platform
>>>>> <https://astuntechnology.com/ishare/>
>>>>> GeoServer, PostGIS and QGIS training
>>>>> <https://astuntechnology.com/services/#training>
>>>>> Helpdesk and customer portal
>>>>> <http://support.astuntechnology.com/support/login>
>>>>>
>>>>> Company registration no. 5410695. Registered in England and Wales.
>>>>> Registered office: 120 Manor Green Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8LN
>>>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=120+Manor+Green+Road,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT19+8LN&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>>> VAT no. 864201149.
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Incubator mailing list
>>>>> Incubator at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/incubator
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Landon
>>>> "Homemade cookies. Hmmmmmmmmmm!"
>>>>
>>>> Web: www.landonblake.com
>>>>
>>>> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/landonblake
>>>>
>>>> Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LandonBlake
>>>>
>>>> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.l.blake.3
>>>>
>>>> Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/landon_blake/
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *Jo Cook*
>>> t:+44 7930 524 155 <+44%207930%20524155>/twitter:@archaeogeek
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Astun Technology Ltd, The Coach House, 17 West Street, Epsom, Surrey,
>>> KT18 7RL, UK
>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT18+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>
>>> t:+44 1372 744 009 <+44%201372%20744009> w: astuntechnology.com twitter:
>>> @astuntech <https://twitter.com/astuntech>
>>>
>>> iShare - enterprise geographic intelligence platform
>>> <https://astuntechnology.com/ishare/>
>>> GeoServer, PostGIS and QGIS training
>>> <https://astuntechnology.com/services/#training>
>>> Helpdesk and customer portal
>>> <http://support.astuntechnology.com/support/login>
>>>
>>> Company registration no. 5410695. Registered in England and Wales.
>>> Registered office: 120 Manor Green Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8LN
>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=120+Manor+Green+Road,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT19+8LN&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> VAT no. 864201149.
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Incubator mailing list
>>> Incubator at lists.osgeo.org
>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/incubator
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> *Jo Cook*
> t:+44 7930 524 155 <+44%207930%20524155>/twitter:@archaeogeek
>
>
> --
> Astun Technology Ltd, The Coach House, 17 West Street, Epsom, Surrey,
> KT18 7RL, UK
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=17+West+Street,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT18+7RL,+UK&entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> t:+44 1372 744 009 <+44%201372%20744009> w: astuntechnology.com twitter:
> @astuntech <https://twitter.com/astuntech>
>
> iShare - enterprise geographic intelligence platform
> <https://astuntechnology.com/ishare/>
> GeoServer, PostGIS and QGIS training
> <https://astuntechnology.com/services/#training>
> Helpdesk and customer portal
> <http://support.astuntechnology.com/support/login>
>
> Company registration no. 5410695. Registered in England and Wales.
> Registered office: 120 Manor Green Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8LN
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=120+Manor+Green+Road,+Epsom,+Surrey,+KT19+8LN&entry=gmail&source=g>
> VAT no. 864201149.
>
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