[asterisk-biz] Java VoIP Applets (was: Re: Ribbit.com ?)

[Matthew Rubenstein]

On Tue, 2007-12-18 at 22:54 +0100, Trixter aka Bret McDanel wrote:
> On Tue, 2007-12-18 at 16:18 -0500, Matthew Rubenstein wrote:
> > 	To be clear, all these distinctions mean that since JIAX was released
> > under GPL, applets derived from it are also under GPL if they're
> > embedded in a public webpage (not a private intranet accessible by only
> > members of the org that derived the new applet). So, according to the
> > GPL, the new applet's source code must be published with the same
> > distribution scope as the executable applet's distribution scope (eg.
> > the public Internet).
> > 
> well yes/no, it could be that they are released on the internet but only
> after a successful auth so they can still require someone to pay to be
> able to download the code.  There is a provision that you cant hide it
> really well, but it would still take someone *affected* to file a suit
> if someone didnt.  You wouldnt be able to sue as a non-customer that you
> cant get the code if its only 'distributed' to customers on a post-auth
> basis.

	Someone who got the applet in a web page but couldn't get the source
code without restriction (like you described) might have standing to
sue. The person holding the copyright on the original applet from which
the new, distributed version was derived definitely has standing to sue.


> Not one person has demonstrated that this was ever the case with this
> particular app.  Thus its a moot point.

	True. But who wants to be the test case?


> The bigger point that seems to
> be glossed over is that if you wanted to do the same thing the
> modifications required are aparently trivial and could be done in 1-7
> days.  
>
> As a result if people really want this, it shouldnt be that hard to do.
> https://jain-sip-applet-phone.dev.java.net/  code is available on that
> page
> http://www.xcad.com/xcad/java_sip_multichannel.html I dont know what
> this is I am bored and dont feel like reading the page
> http://sip-communicator.org/  lgpl licensed java something
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/jsip  gpl licensed java something
> 
> http://w3.antd.nist.gov/it_voip.shtml  your tax dollars at work, they
> have java tools for stuff
> 
> 
> 
> Stuff is out there google is your friend, I found that in under 3
> minutes including reading the pages (some :) and omiting ones that didnt
> seem to be distinct (several were built in jain).  The effort so far
> seems to be not in implementing the technology but discussing it and
> licensing issues, which is fine - you should *fully* understand any
> license you opt into, what its benefits are (not hyped versions) and
> what its downsides are (*all* licenses have a downside of some sort).
> But if people really wanted these technologies they could have had it
> implemented by now :P

	Actually, the "jain-sip-applet" isn't working, and it's bloated, and
poorly supported. The SIP-Communicator is the closest to a working SIP
client in Java, but it's an app (not an applet), pretty huge (and full
of other non-VoIP features), and also not completely working. The others
are also not applets.

	So those examples show that there is interest in producing a "VoIP Java
applet", but that it hasn't borne real fruit. Maybe the multitude of
efforts has split the overall community, impeding critical mass in a
project that just delivers, combined with all the other VoIP projects
draining brains. But the situation is frustratingly "close, but no
cigar".
-- 

(C) Matthew Rubenstein