[Qgis-developer] ASPRS LWG chair opens can of QGIS and FOSS worms in latest column

[Martin Isenburg]

Hello,

Here an interesting commentary by a software engineer friend of mine who
seems a little more knowledgeable about open source licenses than the
author of the "Open Source Mania" article on LiDAR News:

http://odoepner.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/lidar-news-publishes-uninformed-gpl-rant/

The commentary is titled '“Lidar News” publishes uninformed GPL rant' and
critizises the column in 8 different aspects. Here the beginning of
the commentary and the first aspect:

====================================

In its “Random Points” column, the June 2015 Lidar News issue contains an
opinion piece called “Open Source Mania” by Lewis Graham, a director of the
board with ASPRS, the organization that defines the LAS file format.

It contains many inaccuracies and unfair judgements:

1) The author underhandedly attacks Martin Isenburg’s broadly supported
attempts to have theLGPL-licensed de-facto standard LASzip accepted as an
Open Standard and then goes into a rant about the GPL, while lumping both
licenses together as “viral”. The LGPL – not the GPL – explicitly allows
the use as dynamically linked library without any licensing impact on the
main program. Combining the attack on the LASzip community with a rant
against GPL while ignoring the main difference between LGPL and GPL is
unfair to say the least.

2) ...

====================================

Regards,

Martin @rapidlasso


On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 5:00 PM, Saber Razmjooei <
saber.razmjooei at lutraconsulting.co.uk> wrote:

> The guy is stuck in 90’s (there is a “retro” feature in QGIS for him J)!
>
> Maybe you can elaborate more on the vendor lock-in and policies/guidelines
> against such practices (
> http://www.pcworld.com/article/2042943/eu-guide-helps-governments-avoid-vendor-lockin.html
> )
>
> If he is motivated by other things (being ESRI’s Gold partner….maybe), it
> is difficult to have a rational discussion with.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Saber
>
> *From:* qgis-developer-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:
> qgis-developer-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] *On Behalf Of *Martin Isenburg
> *Sent:* 15 June 2015 13:43
> *To:* qgis-developer at lists.osgeo.org
> *Subject:* [Qgis-developer] ASPRS LWG chair opens can of QGIS and FOSS
> worms in latest column
>
>
>
> Hello folks,
>
>
>
> for years I have enjoyed reading Lewis Graham's "Random Points" column in
> the LiDAR News magazine. I usually get some novel insight or come across a
> thought-provoking new concept and this month's column is especially
> interesting. It mashes up the ongoing "LAZ clone" conflict that asks to
> keep LiDAR stored in "open formats" with the practically related but
> conceptually independent "open source" software movement.
>
>
>
> The article revives Steve Ballmers “Linux is a cancer” mantra it talks
> about how the GPL license is a "time-bomb" and makes Asia Air Survey - the
> gold sponsor of QGIS - appear blue-eyed in their support of such a "viral
> license". But it is probably best you read the entire two pages for
> yourself.
>
> http://twitter.com/LAStools/status/610057423672471552
>
>
>
> As Lewis' opinions are regarded highly by the LiDAR and photogrammetry
> industries (myself included) and as the first few paragraphs of this
> widely-circulated LiDAR magazine article are a complete distortion of my
> personal motivation on "open formats" that will directly hurt my
> professional reputation, I have little choice but to respond with a
> correction to his column. Let me know if you have any errata on Lewis'
> comments about the danger of open source licenses that you want me to
> include.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Martin @rapidlasso
>
>
>
>
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