[vtkusers] Re: Packaging vtk: patents

[Ed Hill]

On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:54:41 +0100 Axel Thimm <Axel.Thimm at ATrpms.net>
wrote:
> you are referring to the mpeg part, which can still be removed for
> packaging purposes (and indeed in upcoming vtk releases it would be
> nice to keep it as a separate tarball).
> 
> But what about the other patents regarding some algorithms like
> Marching Cubes and friends? There is a FAQ entry on this:
> 
> http://www.vtk.org/Wiki/VTK_FAQ#What_is_the_deal_with_the_patents
> 
> But it refers to vtk4 and mentions the Patented subfolder which does
> not exist anymore. Have all these patented algorithms either
> 
> o expired
> o been replaced by non-patented equivalents
> o are waived for vtk use?
> 
> IANAL, but probably the patents held by Kitware are not a problem as
> they are releasing the software under an open source license
> themselves. But what about patents by the General Electric Company?
> 
> Please help me get the patent issue resolved so vtk can become part of
> Fedora. Thanks!


Hi folks,

As a Fedora user and software developer I earnestly hope that VTK can
(in some form--perhaps with some parts omitted?) be included with the
Fedora distribution.  Convenient VTK RPMs will make it _MUCH_ easier
for me and other developers to learn about, create, and distribute
applications that use VTK.

And, even if VTK cannot be (re-)distributed by the Fedora Project, it
would still be nice to see an updated VTK FAQ entry that better
explains the current patent situation.

Many thanks to the VTK developers and to Axel -- and best wishes for 
the New Year!

Ed

ps - It would be so nice to see VTK included in Fedora in 2007.
     I would love to introduce new users and developers to VTK 
     starting with a single simple command such as:

        yum install 'vtk*'

     which would automatically [auto-magically? :-)] install all 
     the bits they need to get started with it on their Linux
     machines.


-- 
Edward H. Hill III, PhD  |  ed at eh3.com  |  http://eh3.com/
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