Someone should show this video to these elderly folks
> you are doing an AWESOME job.
I don't speak for the project. I'm just a contributor, just like if I were a Wikipedia contributor.
> May be you could suggest the "free-as-in-beer users" of OSM to to add a sponsor link to their search engine.
I don't know what a sponsor link to a search engine is, but the license dictates usage, and everyone is in full compliance with the license.
> For instance, I find fairly difficult to edit maps in open street map, but if there was a good interface to allow the user to report back to OSM that an information is wrong with a descriptive text might help mappers that know how to edit the maps to correct them.
This question has multiple answers, so let me try my best to address them:
1) If you're interested in learning more about OSM, I highly recommend joining the newbies list. It's very low traffic and very high quality.
2) Personally, I think most mapping in OSM isn't that hard (sometimes it is but not usually). Maybe if you explained what you found hard, we could work on that?
3) The suggestion for textual feedback back to OSM is already in the works for the new website, which will hopefully be up later this year. I think that's the bridge between mappers and non-mapping contributors you're asking about.
> it just doesn't contain the terms that (apparently) the developer would like
No.... It's a term that the article of this slashdot blurb doesn't like. We in the project (including me, the person who is being paraphrased) have no issue with anyone making money off the project.
> without any acknowledgement or payment to the origin of the product is just immoral,
Acknowledgement is attribution, and attribution is part of the license. And the license is being followed.
As for payment... there is no obligation for that. Would it be nice? Sure. But it's not required.
> Who is making that accusation?
Probably the same guy whose voting my comment down clarifying things I was quoted on in the original article.
I want to make a few clarifications to the article.
1. This was, as Roblimo points out, a Facebook chat. This wasn't an interview and I didn't know it was going to be the subject of an article. I was having a conversation with a friend, but when friends are reporters... well mea culpa.
2. Bing is not doing evil here. They are in full compliance with the license as far as I know. And they have expressed interest in offering the project help in the future. I stated a fact, which is that nothing concrete has some out yet, but that's not quite the same "they don't give back.". It's my hope that they will do something for the project, but they're not required to.
3. Lots of companies use OpenStreetMap to make money. There's nothing wrong with that. And many of the same individuals who make money off OSM are its biggest supporters in terms of spreading the word, in terms of helping support the OpenStreetMap Foundation, and by going out and mapping their neighborhoods. There's no separation in my mind between these people and other contributors.
4. The license is essentially attribution-sharealike. It's like the GPL. If there's modification of our data, they're required to make it available to others under the same terms as they received it. That's the license, and that's what everyone is following.
I want to make sure this confusion is cleared up, and if there are any other impressions that are wrong based on this article, I want to apologize for them.
- Serge
"Been through Hell? Whaddya bring back for me?" -- A. Brilliant