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quickcam: "Free VIDEC access campaign", Step 1
Hello everyone,
I am willing to start a "Free VIDEC access campaign".
Basically, I want to get the people at Connectix realize that there are a _lot_
of people interested in making the VIDEC algorithm a part of third party
drivers. Also, I want to give them a "ready to sign" list of terms for a free
VIDEC licensing policy.
After we have come to some terms that both we and Connectix can agree to, I
will make a guestbook available at my site. Expect it there NEXT WEEK. Everyone
who wants to support this will be asked to virtually sign there. Among other
things, you will also be asked what you do with the quickcam, why you need
third party drivers and how many quickcams you own.
I will leave the guestbook online for a few weeks. Then the licensing terms and
the list of supporters will be sent to Connectix as a certified letter. (Maybe
I am also too euphoric and if too few people join this, I will stomp the whole
thing.)
I have thought up a few terms that I think are both good for us (free access to
the VIDEC algorithm) and good for Connectix (protection against non-licensed
use of VIDEC).
Please have a look at this list and let me know what you think. Please check my
English, as well. Once we agree on a good licensing policy suggestion, I will
go on to step 2, the guestbook.
---
- third party developers must sign a non-disclosure agreement to get
information about the VIDEC algorithm from Connectix.
- signing up for the VIDEC third party developers program is FREE, but
Connectix reserves the right to refuse a registration.
---
- using the VIDEC algorithm is FREE if the device using the algorithm is
connected to a genuine Connectix quickcam and the algorithm is used on data
retrieved from the quickcam.
- "connected" means either a direct connection (parallel or serial port), a
network connection or some other way of transmitting a LIVE data stream from
the quickcam to the device.
- all other applications require a LICENSE that a third party developer has to
PAY for (e. g. using the algorithm without the quickcam: to decompress VIDEC
data stored in files or as part of imaging software).
---
- Connectix technical support will not answer questions regarding the
programming of the low level protocol or the VIDEC algorithm.
- Connectix technical support will not answer questions to users of third party
software or hardware.
---
- registered developers MAY NOT distribute source code containing the VIDEC
algorithm.
- they may however distribute source code among each other.
---
- to make this possible, Connectix will set up a list of registered third party
developers on their site.
- or Connectix will create a mailing list for registered developers.
- or Connectix will ask a registered developer to maintain this list or this
mailing list.
---
- registered developers will have access to the COMPLETE source code of the
quickcam drivers for windows and macinthos computers.
---
I know that "developers may not distribute VIDEC source code" is a tough sell
on this mailing list, but without this, the whole thing of registering
developers would be pointless. Connectix obviously does not want to have anyone
out there have a look on VIDEC, so we must give them means to control the use
of the algorithm.
A driver like the qcam or the cqcam package could be distributed as a source
file, with the VIDEC part as a pre-compiled object file. Since the registered
developers may share the source code among each other, different people could
maintain the versions for different platforms in cooperation with the package's
original author.
If someone else with a new OS comes along, he could compile and test drive the
package first without the VIDEC part. And if this works, he can register at
Connectix and get the VIDEC part's source code from the third party package's
author.
Since the third party quickcam drivers have always been very small compact
programs, I see no real problem in distributing binaries.
Hanno Mueller
And now to the evening news: A mentally disordered geography teacher has killed
six persons because they did not know the name of the capital of Scotland.
Police reports that he is still at large and reminds everyone: It's Edinburgh.
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