[sane-devel] External backend advice

[scanf @dslextreme.com]

On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 11:03 AM, m. allan noah <kitno455 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 1:05 PM, scanf @dslextreme.com
> <scanf at dslextreme.com> wrote:
>> Hi sane-devel,
>>
>> I'm sure most of you are developers, not lawyers but I'm hoping
>> someone can point me in the right direction. I'm trying to figure out
>> the best way to release a SANE backend that complies with the GPL
>> while protecting the proprietary code it relies on.
>
> My initial reaction is to give you an earful about how you made a
> mistake with a proprietary API, and now you are making another one
> with proprietary code. But instead, I'm going to be constructive, and
> ask some questions first :)
>
> What exactly are you trying to protect? The communication protocol,
> some image processing functions, the firmware?
>
> allan
> --
> "The truth is an offense, but not a sin"
>

Mainly, we're protecting the clever things we do in software to reduce
hardware costs. It's not impossible to figure out our methods but we
aren't willing to just hand it over to our competitors. There is some
other stuff in there to protect but that's the main one.

Internally, we have discussed the benefits of open source.
Unfortunately, it isn't an option at this point. I'm trying to find a
solution that satisfies management and our customers. I'm hopeful a
solution can be found.