Nearly another week, and another step closer to having Argot out in the wild. It turns out that converting the network resolution code to C was a little more painful that I would have liked. Finally, I'm pleased to say that the first cut is done. Argot is ready to be sent out the door.. well.. nearly!

The last step in getting Argot out the door is to find an appropriate license. A full OSI approved license is not going to provide the right mix of freedom and protection which is ashame. Now that the OVPL is not considered open source its time to rethink the best way to allow open source to take advantage of Argot, yet still allow the business to grow and develop the software.

Surprisingly there really isn't much out there the provides a precedence for this type of license. The GhostScript AFPL and Java Research License touch on some of the required aspects.

Much like Java where controlling compatibility is important, Argot needs to develop but ensure commercial applications stay compatible. The Java Research License provides these elements. But to be compatible with open source we would like to allow Argot to be embedded in any open source software. It is this element that is difficult to find in a license.

Some more research to do. It will be absolutely fantastic to finally have Argot out the door. Very nearly there...