At 10:42 AM 30-07-00 +0200, you wrote:

>Hi Helen,
>
>when I considered IB to be "my" open source project I did not expect to
>get involved into intrigues and ego games. Well, actually I have enough of
>them at my day job. <g>
>Again I must say that I don't understand what is and has been going on
>behind the scenes. So I can not comment nor "judge", I don't even want to.
>
>All I wanted to do is some sensible development work for a product worth
>supporting. I doubt that this is possible at all under the given
>circumstances.
>
>Regards,
>Torsten

I understand you, Torsten.

It was unfortunate that the moment of your decision to step up for the
Java/InterClient work coincided precisely with a Dale Fuller stunt that has
turned seven months of planning and organisation completely upside down.

I don't want to play games and most people feel the same. There is nothing
I can do or say to stop anyone making any sort of personal arrangement with
Inprise and, equally, nobody can later come to the community leaders and
complain when they feel somebody has cheated them.

It is disgraceful that we should be in the position now of warning people
about their personal rights; and it is a disgrace that those of us who
have given enormous amounts of time and energy to making this Open Source
initiative work should now be under legal threat for doing what we did in
good faith - promoting the name and reputation of InterBase.

Please place no construction on my warning except my intention to urge you
to protect your own work from people who don't share your own understanding
of "open source". It is my fervent hope that the whole community -
including our colleagues at Inprise - will soon be in a much more rational
position to move forward and implement our good intentions.

Thanks.
Helen