[jdom-interest] JDOM license evaluation

[bob mcwhirter]

> I passed the JDOM license onto our corporate legal dept., and got this risk
> evaluation:
> 
> 
> RISKS:
> 1. No warranty:  JDOM software is provided "as-is".  If it doesn't work, you
> have no recourse.

	True of all open-source software.

	Also, it seems to match Nortel's own open-source license, a copy
	of which is located:

	http://www.mail-archive.com/license-discuss@opensource.org/msg02886/FIPA_OS_Public_License.pdf

> 2. No indemnity:  You have no protection against intellectual property
> claims against the JDOM software.  If a patent claim is brought against JDOM
> code, <the company> is subject to unlimited liability for infringement.
> <the company> may have limited liability clauses with our customers that
> might limit our exposure for what we sell, but <the company> faces unlimited
> liability for what <the company> makes.  (Commercial code provides <the
> company> with indemnities that allow <the company> to escape such liability
> to certain extents.)

	I can't really address that.	

> 3. No Support:  Support for JDOM software may become a big problem once a
> <the company> product is introduced to market and its design team is
> reassigned to other projects. 

	You can always just bring the JDOM sources in-house, and
	consider it your own software, to support as any other
	software you write.

	Or, consider jdom-interest a support channel.

Really, all of these points are true of open-source software,
regardless of which project you are specifically speaking of.

	-bob