On 26/01/2010 20:09, Keith Wyse wrote: > > http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/SourceForge-Denies-Service-for-Rogue-Nations > > Well that sucks big time. > Essentially it is limiting the freedoms of free (as in speech) > software, not only for those in the black listed countries, but for us > who could have been on the receiving end of a great application > developed in one or more of those countries. The applications developed in countries on the sanctions list are surely going to be available from distributors that are *not* based in the US and therefore *not* subject to US law, right? "However, in addition to participating in the open source community, we also live in the real world, and are governed by the laws of the country in which we are located. Our need to follow those laws supersedes any wishes we might have to make our community as inclusive as possible. The possible penalties for violating these restrictions include fines and imprisonment." It's not an ideal situation at all but I really don't see what else they can do. > Free software was created for everyone, with no discrimination of any type. This isn't really about free software though - it's about an American company operating in the US and then being bound by US law. I'm not going to get into a discussion on US foreign policy or the governmental policies of those on the sanctions list, but the situation isn't as bad as it might be made out. A major distributor of free software is being curtailed by US law, but that doesn't mean that other people can't distribute from locations outside of US jurisdiction. Does anyone know of any similar resources based in say, the EU? B - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can find the EdLUG mailing list FAQ list at: http://www.edlug.org.uk/list_faq.html
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