On Mon Jun 18 23:54:37 2007, Ted Hardie wrote:
If ABNF is code, in other words, we are covered.
This did briefly occur to me, but then I realised...
So, I believe we all also agree a human can read the RFC and code an
implementation after having done so without a copyright violation.
If the ABNF is specification, in other words, we are covered
provided
the process to turn it into code is in wetware.
Indeed - if it's not code, we're already covered anyway, and the
entire point is moot.
If the process is in other code, the question becomes whether the
syntax
expressed in ABNF in the relevant document is code or input on
which the
code works. I certainly think that can be treated as code, as do
others.
No, I disagree - the question is not that. A MIB, in particular, is
typically used as "input on which the code works", either at
compile-time or runtime. A MIB is essentially a formal syntax
definition itself, being written in ASN.1, which is to hideous binary
blobs what ABNF is to beautiful text strings - not that I'm biased -
so I struggle to see how one could be obviously legal and yet the
other not.
RFC3978 doesn't just say "code", but in fact says [In Section 3.3,
para (a), part (E)]:
[...] any executable code
or code fragments that are included in any IETF Document
(such
as MIB and PIB modules) [...]
So, MIBs are "code", and that implies that other formal syntax
definitions written in a standard notation must surely also be
"code", since there's nothing particularly magical about ASN.1.
The more interesting question is whether the authors of those RFCs
with ABNF in them intended the ABNF to be treated as code, or at
least don't object. If RFC authors *do* object, then we have a more
serious problem. But, at least so far in this thread, nobody has - I
wondered if that might be because it's hidden in a thread apparently
concerned with IMAP URLs, hence the change of subject line.
Dave.
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