[tde-users] Re: How to achieve the legal status of the project?

On Friday 19 February 2021 07:08:54 Slávek Banko via tde-users wrote: Simple is good, simplistic is not. It's good to keep things simple and uncomplicated; but if it leads to unforeseen complications further down the road, that's not good. For example, if TDE runs into legal problems, or copyright trolls, or other stuff that others have discussed. Best thing is to make it clear what we really want. And my guess is that we all want TDE to continue development, to be available for us to use as our desktop; not to slip from our control. By "us" I mean the whole group, developers and users. My reason for spelling out what might seem obvious is this: "open source" is not the same as free/libre software. What starts out as a good thing can be changed by small degrees over time, so that in a few years the software is compromised. Corruption usually doesn't happen all at once, but goes through small steps that are barely perceptible; and I worry that if we get sloppy about the licensing, then other entities may find a way of seizing control. (The Brave browser, for example, is in the news now for having been exposed as not so secure as they claim.) Often these problems arise due to MONEY: taking funding from sources who have ulterior motives. If we keep the license free/libre instead of just "open source", this will shield us from most of those problems. For those who don't appreciate the distinction between free/libre and open source, see the Free Software Foundation, as well as the writings of Richard Stallman and others. (He is annoying as hell sometimes, but the past 20 years or so have proved him right.) I feel strongly that we ought to keep the TDE project as completely free/libre GNU Linux; no watered-down "open source" definitions for licensing. Also, we might be able to get some free publicity, if the TDE project gets listed among the FSF's approved list of free/libre software. (I don't know that they list desktops as such, but they do list other "side projects" - that is, items which are not a complete OS, but only a component.) Stay away from US! I live here, and the laws that regulate technology are confusing, contradictory and created out of fear and ignorance. The EU is better, in my opinion, although recent developments there are also cause for concern. The Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) might be able to offer some guidance for us. We might also write an email to Mr Stallman himself, as he does answer emails, especially where it concerns the issue of keeping free software free (as in freedom, not as in free beer). I feel sure that he will have an opinion, and might have suggestions for how to go about setting up TDE as a legal business entity and non-profit. There are others out there, too, whom it might be worth asking. Wherever TDE touches down upon the earth, we become subject to the laws there, so we ought to consider this step very carefully. But where, if not the US or EU? Finland? Iceland? Bhutan? We will probably need to have a few actual human beings who live in that region, so they can receive mail, accept donations, pay the bills ... so that sort of points to the EU. I have some money that is burning a hole in my pocket, some of which I'd like to contribute to the TDE project, so it would be nice to have some way of donating without using either PayPal or Bitcoin, neither of which have worked for me in the past. However, if TDE at some point in future starts behaving like other projects, such as KDE, or the Brave browser, or Mozilla (the list is long), then I will move on to something else. The reason I like TDE is that it still obeys me when I am running my own machine; the only way to keep it in control of users is to keep it free/libre, GNU/Linux, not merely open source. Regardless how we organize, then, using a fiscal host, using the SF Conservancy or Dyne, or creating a non-profit, I believe that we ought to keep to the free/libre license as our standard. Better to wait awhile longer than to rush into anything. Out of the choices that Slavek listed, both SF Conservancy and Dyne take some control away from us. A fiscal host sounds good, but offers no legal protections. Creating our own non-profit would give us the most control, but also more headaches. In the US, non-profits are not always so unprofitable, and can entail too much work. The EU seems better in this respect; many non-profits require only a few hours per month to manage the books and other business. Since I myself like to keep business matters simple, so that I can spend my time doing what I really want, my gut instinct tells me that some combination of a fiscal host and a non-profit, based in the EU, would come closest to that aim of keeping control within the group of developers and users, and adhering to the definitions of free/libre GNU/Linux. I hope that I have said enough, and have persuaded everybody ... but ... Bill