[kDev] License of responsibility...

[Daniel Harris <daniel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

My latest musings on a license for Kendra code go thus... Software 
licenses (free or not free, open source or closed source, commercial or 
non-commercial) seem to be carriers of ideas as much as things the user 
is required to do. kendraInitiative's aim is to see the creation of 
kendraSystem. We are building kendraTools to assist/enable 
kendraParticipants to fulfil the aim using collaborative design. 
Everything we do here can be used as a tools to bring us closer to the 
goal. The license we use is another opportunity to express our vision.

Thinking logically about this. How is Kendra going to come about? 
Kendra will come about when enough people *will* it to happen. Most 
people want it to happen but many say it's not possible because *other 
people* will never agree to it or wont make the effort to make it 
happen. Probably because "people are just out for themselves and just 
thinking about how they can get ahead of the next person and not 
thinking about the common good nor about sharing 
resources/information". So, some people feel like the decision is 
always someone else's. They've abdicated the power to make a decision 
and hence relinquished responsibility for the outcome. I want to enable 
those people to "take back" the power to decide and "take back" the 
responsibility for the outcome.

Licenses generally make legal requirements on users. And if the users 
don't do as the license says then they run the risk of falling foul of 
the law. Beyond a decision to comply with the law these licenses don't 
give much room for users to exercise their decision making faculties 
nor do they enable the user to take responsibility for much.

So, how can we get users to *maximise* their decision making faculties 
and hence take *maximum* responsibility for the outcome? What about if 
we make no requirements (legal or otherwise) on the user in order for 
them to use the software? We could just explain why we make no 
requirements and that everything that they do or don't do will take 
Kendra closer or further away from its goal and it is entirely their 
decision and hence their responsibility what actions they take or don't 
take towards fulfilling Kendra's goal. They wont have a choice but to 
make a choice! ;-) They wont be able to not see themselves as 
responsible for kendraInitiative's outcome.

Cool or what?!

This links back to what was said here:
http://www.kendra.org.uk/lists/archive/k-framework/msg00070.html
"You are in control - You have the choice - You have the responsibility"

Cheers Daniel

Test: http://www.kendra.org.uk/tools1/
Plan: 
http://www.kendra.org.uk/documents/kendra_tools_project_plan_1.html