Re: Subject: Re: RADIUS 2? (fwd)

bem@cmc.net
Mon, 23 Sep 1996 11:32:02 -0700 (PDT)

> Our RADIUS server has features others lack, and that is a selling point
> for Livingston products. You aren't allowed to use it unless you are
> a customer (as of 2.0). We've seen too many incidents where someone has
> purchased, say, USR TC units but use our RADIUS because they 'like it
> better'. And when asked said they never would have gone with the TC if
> they couldn't use our RADIUS with it. We have been enabling the sales
> of competing products. While we're nice about things, we are a business
> in a highly competitive environment. All this move does is help prevent
> non-customers and our competitors from profiting from our work. It
> doesn't change anything for our customers.

As a programmer, I'd prefer to see the Livingston RADIUS implementation
GPL'd.

This would give Livingston what it wants: they would be able to assert
their ownership of the code and its enhancements. It would also ensure
that when someone gets an SS9000 using the 'WizbangSPARC' that RADIUS
will still run (assuming gcc has been ported anyway :)), -and- it ensures
that if The Competition uses Livingston's RADIUS, that Livingston would
get any enhancements they have made to it and would be able to integrate
it into future releases.

Then any competitor that tries to steal your work would have to do some of
your own software development.

The end result is, I think, better than even the 1.16 release where there
are a million hacks to it, which may or may not make it into official
releases, and which may end up making Livingston do actual code work to
re-engineer someone else's changes.

Has any thought been given to GPL'ing it? It does look like a win-win
situation to me.