[not entirely OT] proper terms for grades of freedom

[Oleg Goldshmidt]

On 6/10/10, Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda <ladypine at gmail.com> wrote:

> I was once offered something similar. The source code was to be given, as
> insurance in case the company stopped existing. However, we were not to
> access the code unless such a thing happened.
>
>> Are there licenses that allow private modifications but not
>> distribution of either original or modified program?
>>
> Of course - this is where you sign an NDA to get the code.

Oh, I did not mean private contracts with "code escrow" and such -
these are standard, normal, widespread, etc. The licensee gets to
review the code before signing a contract, etc. I've been on both ends
of such deals.

If you look at the M$ "Reference Source Licensing" it is something
different. E.g., they (or someone) publicly distribute a useful
library and they want to let developers study its inner workings to be
able to use the library efficiently, but they do not allow
redistribution, modifications (even private), "derivative works", or
anything like that. "It's our IP, you may look but you may not touch".

This is not a case where the licensee is afraid that M$ will go under
and they'll need to maintain the code. For all I know (and I don't)
the code may be published on an FTP site under this license, no NDA
signing in a back room required.

-- 
Oleg Goldshmidt | oleg at goldshmidt.org