[mythtv-users] A new theme on the way...

Robert McNamara robert.mcnamara at gmail.com
Thu Oct 22 04:26:51 UTC 2009


On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 9:18 PM, Chris Ribe <chrisribe at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I am aware that there is a long history of popular non-GPL themes, but a
> license that "disallows copying or derivative works" is unlike any Creative
> Commons license I am aware of.
>

Then you owe it to yourself to learn more about Creative Commons.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/


> That said, I'm not trying to persuade you to pick a particular license for
> your unreleased theme.  I might even pony up for your (awesome looking)
> proprietary theme and the (not so special looking) font if I the font in
> question wasn't so...blah.  My only point is that releasing low cost high
> quality proprietary software is just about the worst way imaginable to
> encourage people to produce their own competing software.

Just so nobody gets the wrong idea-- My theme will cost *nothing* and
I will make *nothing* from releasing it.  But as a work of *art* it is
perfectly reasonable for me to want to ensure users use it in
unmodified state.  You may be unable to tell the difference between
(or at least, unable to see the advantages of) my choice of font and
free alternatives, but that is not to say that I, or others cannot.
If I could drop *any other font* in and have it look as good to me, I
would do so.  Despite my best efforts, I can't.

>
> Seriously, if Microsoft claimed that the extended free public beta of
> Windows 7 was intended to encourage Linux development, would you believe
> them?
>

It's entirely dissimilar.  Windows is a for profit product.  My theme
is entirely free, with the proviso that nobody hack it to pieces.
IMO, I've done my part for this project, and it's perfectly reasonable
of me to ask that in return for my pouring countless hours, creative
thinking, and enthusiasm into it, that the user not modify it.  You
don't have to like it, or use it, but it doesn't make my perspective
any less valid.  If people enjoy the look of my theme and it gets them
excited about possibly writing their own works, all the better.

Robert


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