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| From PA1688 to PA6488 - Software API License Terms |
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| Feb 11, 2010 |
Under the strong request by PA1688 manufacturers, we began to provide "PalmH323" software API in early 2003. The name was not changed since then, although later we had many other protocols supported including SIP and IAX2. The separation of API and closed part of software took quite some efforts, but it helped to improve our overall PA1688 software architecture in the end. After it was ready for manufacturers, we provided it to all end users several months later.
In 2005 we got an email from an end user, who said he could not use our software API because we did not state any license terms, and his boss was worrying that there might be legal problems in the future. I remembered the book "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" and put PA1688 software API under GPL.
Naturally we kept software API and GPL features in the very beginning of AR1688 development. We released AR1688 software API (the sdcc package) at rather early development stage in 2006 under GPL. Surprises came in 2009 when we received several very long emails from an AR1688 end user, he explained in details why his engineers can not work on our software API base on GPL. And he also suggested several ways for us to change to meet their requirement. Now we have taken his advice to change AR1688 software license terms from GPL to BSD. I hope the change is not too late and is legal.
I thought of changing PA1688 software API license to BSD too, but we are not PA1688 owner now, and I found that I did not know who can I talk to about this topic.
We started PA6488 development in 2009 and planned software API under GPL in the same way, fortunately nothing is released yet because of our delay in software schedule. We may release first PA6488 software API under BSD in Jun this year.
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