BaKoMa fonts on TeXLive

[lcs@math.u-psud.fr (Laurent SIEBENMANN)]

Dear Sebastian,

     Your TeXLive4 of March 1999, which has enjoyed
exceptionally wide circulation by TeX groups, does indeed
contain BaKoMa Type 1 versions of CM and AMS fonts going beyond
the entirely free (but carefully copyrighted) CMPS and AMSPS
collections. Curiously, you seemingly do not provide any
copyright notice for this vital fragment of the BaKoMa font
collection, nor even the author's name and address. That shows
scant respect for Malyshev's rather crucial work.

 SR> Basil Malyshev explicitly told me earlier this year
 > that the few BaKoMa fonts needed to fill the gaps
 > in the Blue Sky/Y&Y collection were complete freely
 > distributable and useable.

The following was cc'd to Malyshev with your assertion.

 LS> Interesting news, even as hearsay. Does it mean that Malyshev
 > has obtained outside financial support? Can you point to
 > written confirmation? Has such a free package been posted by
 > Malyshev?

You answered:

 SR> I foolishly did NOT keep the email from Basil. So
 > unless he wants to publicly repeat the statement, I
 > propose to withdraw from my position on this.

Well, so far, he has not, and I have left a couple of
weeks for him to intervene.

 LS> I suspect that to get the one-and-only complete and up-to-date
 > version of the BaKoMa font collection is the one you get with
 > the shareware BaKoMa TeX. Prove me wrong!

 RS> I might look. To be honest, I do not really have the
 > enthusiasm to track down variants of BaKoMa fonts. It just
 > isn't worth the hassle of trying to find variations and
 > understand licenses.

That is a shocking statement for someone who edits CDs
for a highly responsible organisation like TUG.

 SR> OK, have looked at them, and read the license. Looks
 > like I shall have to remove the fonts from TeX Live.

QUITE THE CONTRARY, Sebastian! If in fact you accidentally
or intentionally violated Basil Malyshev's copyright on
your recent TeX-Live 4 --- and that is something that I am
sure we can we can ascertain --- then, in the interests of
decency in the TeX world, I say you had better at very
least offer to include the full BaKoMa on the
very next version of TeX Live, along with Malyshev's
full copyright and/or shareware notices.

     Does that sound fair to you Sebastian?

     The copyright notice I have for the 1998 BaKoMa font
package accompanying the distribution of AcroDVI/dvipdf at

     ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr/pub/tex/AcroDVI_alpha

states explicitly:

 BM> You may freely distribute unaltered copies of this
 > software including this notice. Altered copies may not
 > be distributed.

    One last question, Sebastian.  To what extent is
TeXLive a lucrative activity for you?  Basil Malyshev
certainly needs support in some form to pursue his
pioneering TeX work that has been so vital to me and
others.

           Very sincerely,

               Larry Siebenmann

PS.  The quotations above (except BM's) come from the
pdftex list <pdftex@tug.org>, October 1999.