Re: GMail is using Hspell!

On Sat, Mar 11, 2006, Diego Iastrubni wrote about "Re: GMail is using Hspell!":
> Nadav, HSpell is GPL V2. Let me quote from that license:
>..
> As much as I can understand (IANAL), this means that there is no restriction 
> (at all) on how do you use the application. Google are using hspell 
> internally, and they are not even distributing it (only it's output). This is 
> perfectly in no contradiction to the GPL.

I know. I never said I blaim Google for doing anything illegal. In fact, I
even mailed them several times over the last year *asking* them to use Hspell,
and even discussed this idea with a Google executive. As I said, the fact they
used Hspell is flattering, and many of my family members actually use GMail,
I also have a reason to want to see its Hebrew support improving.

I just raised a philosophical question (which is perhaps more appropriately
discussed at discussions@hamakor, not on this list), whether the GPL's
focus on "distribution" of code, which was the "old" way software was used
(a.k.a. proprietary software) is missing a very big change in Today's
software world, where software is used to provide a service, and the software
is hidden (and can even be called "internal") while only the service is
public. I'm not even sure what I think about this issue - like I said - I
was not against Google using Hspell and I even asked them to do so. But I'm
starting to wonder where the line should be drawn: I'm quite pleased that
Google uses Hspell in a service it provides for free, but what if this was
a paid service? And will I be as pleased if Microsoft creates its first
paid "service" version of Microsoft Word and uses Hspell for its spell-checker?
I don't know. I think that I and most other free software writers haven't
given this enough thought. We used to have to decide between BSD and GPL
licenses, but now we have a third option: to disallow non-free "services"
as well (if I understand correctly, the GPL 3 is going in the direction of
this third option).


> Again, my humble opinion:
> GPL3 - niet
> Google - niet
> HSpell - DA!
> niet, niet dah!

:-)

> btw, 
> you talked about "decoy" words. Can you elaborate about that?

Well, this is a trick that many creators of lists (word lists, phone number
list, address lists, and so on) use to catch unauthorized use of their
lists. The idea is that you add to the list one or more items which are
wrong (in our case, not a real Hebrew word); These items have to be real-
looking (so that the "bad guys" will not be able to recognize and remove
them without a lot of work) but on the other hand, they should be far enough
from real items so that the "bad guys" cannot claim that it appeared on their
list by chance, independently of the original list, and that they don't
damage innocent users.

The software equivalent of these decoys is "Easter Eggs" - see for example
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_%28virtual%29

-- 
Nadav Har'El                        |      Saturday, Mar 11 2006, 12 Adar 5766
nyh-TS7m/[email protected]             |-----------------------------------------
Phone +972-523-790466, ICQ 13349191 |Help Wanted: Telepath. You know where to
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