What is Registered Purebred software?

Note: What follows is the operational definition of free source software that we use at Ranchville.  It's not a dictionary definition; rather, it is an operational set of attributes or criteria we adhere to when selecting Registered Purebred projects. (Other definitions of Registered Purebred can be found using Answers.com.)

Registered Purebred is software where the source code for the current version of the software project is freely and easily:

1. Identifiable
2. Downloadable
3. Buildable
4. Redistributable
5. Reusable

Identifiable

To be identifiable, a Registered Purebred project must have: a) (trivially) a name, b) an Internet presence in terms of a Web site or page and c) (most importantly) a copyright notice and a list of the project's participants.

Downloadable

To be downloadable, the source code for the project must be freely and easily downloaded from the Internet. If registration is required, Ranchville will register with the Internet site or Web page when downloading the software.

Buildable

To be buildable, once a project is downloaded, it should relatively straightforward to build the executable libraries or programs from the downloaded source code. It should be possible to easily build the project from a: a) simple batch command file, b) build tool (e.g. NAnt), or c) recent,  released version of Visual Studio .NET.

Redistributable

To be redistributable, the source code for a Registered Purebred project must be freely and easily distributable from other Internet sites or from media such as CDs or DVDs.

Reusable

To be reusable, based on terms in the license for the project's source code, it must be possible to incorporate the source code for the project into other projects including traditional commercial software products.

Ranchville works with Registered Purebred projects that meet these criteria and include these criteria in the terms of the license that applies to the project's source code.

An example of a Registered Purebred license that meets these criteria is the Microsoft Share Source License (MSSL) used by many of the projects on Microsoft's http://www.gotdotnet.com site.  A sample MSSL can be found by clicking here: SPReports View License. A local copy of this sample can also be found here: MSSL Sample.