ADMIN: New Lojban Parser Policy - Parser available on ftp

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>]

Having polled the LLG Board, we have decided on a new policy regarding
distribution of the Lojban Parser that John wrote.

The parser, including source, and executable for the pc environment (and
people are welcome to add other executables as well) will be posted to
the Lojban ftp site casper.cs.yale.edu directory /pub/lojban.  Cowan
will decide exactly how to put the files up to be most useful, but I am
suggesting to him that there be one collection which is executable,
grammar texts, and instructions (with no source), and the source in a
separate file collection, so as to reduce downloading time for the large
majority of pc users who have no use for the source.

The software for the nonce is being released as Shareware under our
standard liberal license - copy freely for purpose of promotion of the
language but we retain copyright, and you must keep the copyright notice
in your copy.  There is no charge for use of software or source within
this license, but see following.

The convincing arguments for the change are

a) we want the language to spread as widely as possible, and the Lojban
which is produced to be as good a quality as possible.  The parser is in
effect the 'official standard' of good Lojban.  The more people use it
on their own, 1) the better their Lojban will be, 2) the less work those
of us who review text will have to do, 3) the less likelihood people
will write their own, possibly-substandard-as-to-grammar parser,
thereby setting up multiple and conflicting standards of the language.

b) to sell the product, we have to support it in filling orders,
responding to problems promptly, and improving the user interface to
make it more friendly to users less skilled at parser use.  This takes
time from lojbab and Cowan, who have more important things to do,
especially with the currently small prospects for sale (especially if we
tried to set a price worth what it would cost to seriously support the
program).  The amount of income we lose by not charging is small,
certainly less than $1000 under any price/number-of-sales combination.

c) Most recently, the TLI on-line dictionary offering prompts me
(lojbab) to remind people of how we are different from TLI in attitude
and policy towards people doing their own thing with the language.
While TLI charge $50 for their on-line files, our files will be freely
available.  But we don't have them yet.  TLI also charges $50 for their
parser, so we are able to make an immediate statement of principle.

We are sacrificing some income for this, and we are of course
perpetually short of cash (though comparatively well off at the moment
since I am not putting out JL and LK which are our biggest expenditures).

However it was suggested that, especially among those of you who support
this change of policy, it is quite reasonable that we ask you to help
make up the reduction in our future income by donating money to LLG in
lieu of that income.  If we get the $500-$1000 that we might be losing
in income, I for one will be much more sure that the decision will help
rather than hurt LLG (I have no doubt that it will help _Lojban_, but I
have the organizational responsibility and an upcoming dictionary to
publish).  I will let people decide what they are willing to donate, but
10 people at $100, 20 people at $50 or 40 people at $25 would give us
that $1000 total.  And maybe some among you are in a position to
contribute a larger amount (wish! wish!)

lojbab
----
lojbab                           Note new address:    lojbab@access.digex.net
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA                        703-385-0273

lojbab
----
lojbab                           Note new address:    lojbab@access.digex.net
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA                        703-385-0273

For information about the artificial language Loglan/Lojban, please
provide a paper-mail address to me.  We also have information available
electronically via ftp ( casper.cs.yale.edu, in the directory
pub/lojban) and/or email.  The LLG is funded solely by contributions,
and are needed in order to support electronic and paper distribution.