[DB-SIG] Passing the informixdb torch

[Thomas Bryan]

On Fri, 22 Jan 1999, Stephen J. Turner wrote:

> Since Bertil Reinhammar is nowhere to be found, I'd like to volunteer to
> take over as maintainer of the informixdb module.  

Terrific!  It would be nice if more of the DB modules had release dates
more recent than, say, 1997.

> How, though, does one go about assuming responsibility for someone
> else's product?  

Try reading "Homesteading the Noosphere." :-)
http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/homesteading/homesteading.html
In section 4, Eric Raymond describes how hackers generally come to
take over a project.  I suggest at least posting once or twice to 
comp.lang.python in case Bertil Reinhammar is still involved in Python.

> If I wanted to make enhancements in future, how (if at
> all) would that affect the existing copyright?  Do you think IV DocEye
> AB (the current copyright holder) should be contacted about this?

Yuck!  Copyright issues.  Try contacting IV DocEye AB, but the only
references I can find on search engines are all in Swedish, which I don't
speak.  I know someone who does in case you need to know what a particular
page says.  Just send me a message.  

Like the README says, anyone can modify and redistribute copies as long as
he doesn't charge a fee.  (That's a little more restrictive than GPL.)
So, you can at least do that under the current copyright.  You're just
trying to gain the support of the Python and/or DB-SIG community to claim
that your modifications are the new "official" version of informixdb.
The previous author hasn't done anything with it for over a year.  You
have my vote.

> And lest I be too presumptuous, are there others who'd like the job? 
                                                         ^^^^
Ha!  I mean, no.  You have my vote unless Bertil Reinhammar suddenly shows
up.

> Should we hold elections for the post? :-)

Elections assume you have competitors, don't they? ;-)

-------------------------------------------
Tom Bryan
Applied Research Laboratories
University of Texas at Austin