[freeside] POP Locater

[ivan]

On Fri, Nov 17, 2000 at 06:57:05AM -0500, Stephen Amadei wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Nov 2000, ivan wrote:
> 
> > Would you consider making this data available under an open-source or
> > open-content license?
> 
> Well, my first intent has been to get a small local calling area DB going.
> Using various sources, I have put together enough data to allow for a read
> only outside web interface, and a editable web interface that allows one
> to "connect" CO's with local calling.
> 
> I had planned on writing a separate DB with my calling numbers that would
> "raid", through the readable web interface, a local POP.  For now, my
> messy script does the job, but a simpler, graceful one could be written...
> _if_ the LCA DB was complete (well, completer than RI, NJ and DE... ;-)).
> 
> Once this was finished, I was going to provide access to the world, a la
> "The Directory" with some banner ads.  Not trying to become rich, but use
> it to help publicize whatever my main work is... currently Dandy.net.
> 
> The problem is... that I have discovered the DB data entry is beyond my 
> means and writing a script to convert the data will not work in many
> cases, as all the tariffs are formatted differently...
> 
> As for making the data available for open-source or open-content
> licensing, I am open to suggestion.

http://opencontent.org/
http://opensource.org/

Please consider releasing this information under an open-content or
open-source license.

>  The LCA DB idea is something that 
> I've fiddled with for years, as I love local calling... in other words,
> getting free stuff from the greedy ILECs... dating back to my BBS days
> when a handful of my friends put together a loose connection of systems
> that would link local calls to do long distance BBSing.  I am still
> interesting in local calling info because I think it is criminal to charge
> what MapInfo and CCMI and TeleT-something charge for local calling info...
> MapInfo wants $50K for the US.
> 
> I would like to see this info be made available to the public for free, or
> nearly free,

That's beer, not speech.

> but not in the form that they can take the whole database
> home,

That's specifically what I'm interested in.  This is part of the freedom
you would allow people by using an open-content or open-source license.

> or resell it.

Some opencontent or open-source licenses would allow this; others would
not.

>  Again, like "The Directory" does.
> 
> How exactly would something like this be open-sourced or open-content
> licensed?

> As the info is coming from a number of sources, who owns the
> data?

Like most open-source projects, the contributors own the copyright on
their individual contribution, but agree to a common license which
guarantees their freedoms (and those of everyone else...)
 
> On a side note, I have searched for this info so much, I have friends
> steal the local calling pages from the front of telephone books when they
> go on vacation.  Collected Santa Cruz and San Jose last week at
> ISPCON.  ;-)

Exactly.  If the aggregation of the data was available under an
open-content or open-source license, I'd be happy to send you data I
collected.  If the data were *not* available under an open-content or
open-source license, I definately would *NOT* go out of my way to provide
you with additional local calling information.  I imagine many others feel
the same way.

-- 
meow
_ivan