RE: 463 kernel developers missing!

["David Schwartz" <davids@webmaster.com>]

Stefan Richter wrote:

> This doesn't justify what Jon did though.

No, but the GPL does.
 
> Jon created a new database out of formerly disparate datasets, even
> though we didn't provide him these datasets for this purpose.  The fact
> that the means to create this database are rather trivial and cheap do
> not mean that we implicitly agreed to what he did or that it wouldn't
> matter whether we agree to it or not.

Yes, it does. If you contribute to a GPL project, you *explicitly* agree to exactly this. Anything you submit may be pieced together, changed, made public, processed, and used for purposes other than you intended.
 
> Jon even suggested that his database is then used to combine with
> further databases (bugzilla accounts, mailinglist archives).  Again, the
> fact that something like this is possible without great difficulties
> doesn't make it right.

No, but that all the submissions were made under the GPL, whose explicit purpose is to allow information to be changed, processed, and reused for other purposes does.

If you don't want your submissions to be in the public record for all eternity to be used for any lawful purpose, don't make them to a GPL project.

You have no right whatsoever to look at how one person chooses to use them and say "I didn't agree to that". Yes, you did. You gave up the right to approve or reject each use when you made the submission. If you don't like it, submit under some other license.

DS