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Re: Use of netCDF under Windows

> Organization:  Varian Chromatography Systems, Walnut Creek California

Hi Jean-Louis,

> Well, 3 months later I am still trying to figure out how to productize our
> netCDF access libraries as part of an AIA Toolkit for Windows.
> 
> By the time we only distribute access libraries (whether they are for
> Windows, DOS or UNIX), no source code is distributed, and some of the terms
> of the Unidata/ netCDF copyright statement don't sound right for this
> situation. Most of all, there is a risk to convey the idea that the
> derivative product is free and can be freely distributed.
> 
> We could include the whole Unidata statement in the documentation, with
> additional info specifying our own conditions and requirements, but I would
> rather have a simpler statement. Among other things, by the time we create
> and distribute a derivative product, I don't believe it is necessary to
> include your liability statenent, we should just have our instead. Should we
> (Varian) make a proposal for a shorter statement?  I presume that everybody
> that created a derivative product not including netCDF source code had
> similar concerns, so this is probably not the first time your get these
> questions.

Although other derivative products have included compiled versions of the
netCDF library without source (e.g. IDL, IBM Visualization Data Explorer,
SSESCO's MRAF, Spyglass), I'm not aware that any of them requested a changed
or simpler form of the netCDF copyright statement.  I know that at least one
of these companies wrote us a letter of understanding for us to sign, to
make sure we agreed with their understanding of the copyright conditions.

As far as I am concerned, a simpler statement would suffice, but I'm not a
lawyer and have little expertise in this area.  If Varian proposes a
simpler statement, we'll submit it to the UCAR intellectual property office
for approval, but it is possible that that office may request additional
changes.

> Also, I have been contacted by somebody at Shimadzu/Japan seeking to license
> our libraries for Windows... Would Unidata need to review any agreement we
> make with them, or are we free to do whatever we want?

I think you are free to do whatever you want in that case.  I know the
company is already aware that the source is freely available, since they
contacted me looking for a version that had been ported to Windows NT.

We are still interested in the source for your Windows NT version, in order
to determine whether we can incorporate the changes into our development
sources.  If we could integrate the Windows NT changes into our development
version, it would make future ports to Windows NT platforms easier and make
netCDF a better interface for accessing scientific data.

--Russ
______________________________________________________________________________

Russ Rew                                           UCAR Unidata Program
address@hidden                              http://www.unidata.ucar.edu