1. How came the League ?
2. What is the essence and contents of CoSoft?
3. What’s the difference between CoSoft and other organizations?
4. Will CoSoft be involved in market competition?
5. What are the services of CoSoft?
6. What’s the organizational structure of CoSoft?
7. What kind of open source projects CoSoft is now involved in?
8. How the Licensing Rules affect the development, publishing and sales of related products?

FAQ ABOUT Membership

9. What’s the significance of joining CoSoft (why, what kind of benefits to gain, and my commitments)?
10. What are the qualifications for joining CoSoft (membership qualifications)?
11. Does membership application have a deadline date?
12. Can enterprise and institution members appoint more than one representative?
13. How to collect membership dues?
14. How to use the membership dues?
15. Do members of CoSoft have to open all source codes?

FAQ About the League

1.How came the League?

In recent years, the concept of OSS is gaining more and more international awareness. Guided by this concept, a considerable group of treasures have been accumulated, and source programs including operating system level, platform software level and application level can be freely downloaded and applied via Internet. The concept of open source is capable of achieving intelligence accumulation, especially making for foundation software education. However, due to high management costs, greater requirement for trustness and reliability falls on open source organizations. Domestically, the development of Chinese software industry poses a huge demand for high-level talents and good basic system software. China does have a great number of software talents and strong developing forces. However, some pending problems do exist in the development of Chinese software industry. For example, there are difficulties in training advanced employees, drained human resources, lack of advanced software R&D management and repeated construction. Meanwhile, although the current business model in the software industry is based upon selling copies, this commercial software concept is gradually being replaced by the concept of open source and gaining profits with services and training.
In this context, Co-Create Software League came into existence. The League takes open source as a strategy, organizes and manages via tight coupling way and ensures the realizability of the League’s objectives via a variety of licenses.
Initiated by the body of experts for National 863-306 Programs and co-sponsored by 30 well-known domestic software enterprises, scientific research universities and colleges and the media, CoSoft was established on 28th of Feb. 2000. Unequal to OSS league, CoSoft designs and organizes based upon Chinese characteristics and the actual needs of Chinese software industry. It tries to start from the OSS developed internationally with several hundred billions of US$, organize the R&D of currently lacking but urgently needed software, then integrate and open them pursuant to the League’s licensing rules.
At the first beginning, CoSoft gained the support of National 863 Program. The initial objective of CoSoft was coherent with that for the major projects of National 863 Program. Based upon this, CoSoft strived harder to win national projects, attracted the participation of enterprises, provided top quality services and introduced a variety of funds and investment, so a positive cycle came into being.

2. What is the essence and contents of CoSoft?

Co-Create Software League is a nonprofit international software technology league which is voluntarily united, legally registered and established by software enterprises, software education institutions, software research agencies and application departments that are determined to revive Chinese software industry, and individuals who are engaged in computer research, education, development, production, application and management. CoSoft is composed of members, the Council and executing agencies. CoSoft aims to widely achieve intelligence accumulation and effectively spread achievements via flexible open source strategies, promote the rapid development and growth of innovative software technologies and boost Chinese software industry to develop in leaps and bounds with the advanced mechanism.
CoSoft takes as its objective developing common basic system software and has won the strong support of national hi-tech programs. Its functions are: provide an open environment for innovative software technologies to speedily grow and develop; provide software developers with an arena to share achievements and a channel to cooperate and exchange information; provide enterprises or users who develop application software and systems with low-cost common foundation software and high quality technical services.
To widely achieve intelligence accumulation and effectively spread achievements via advanced mechanism and open source is the strategy to operate CoSoft; to better exert and complementarily utilize the advantages in scientific research, education, production, application and management is the principle to organize CoSoft; to boost Chinese software technologies and industry to develop in leaps and bounds and meet the challenges in the 21st century is the objective to establish CoSoft.

3. What’s the difference between CoSoft and other organizations?

The current formal name of Co-Create Software League is Co-Create Branch of China Software Industry Association. Yet, it is not a generic association or open source league. Instead, it is a strongly purposive (to develop Chinese software industry via tight coupling way) institution, which is now actively applying for registration of being nonprofit.
CoSoft will be committed to: growing into the R&D base for Chinese system software, providing enterprises or users who develop application software and systems with low-cost common foundation software and high quality technological services; becoming the incubating base for Chinese OSS, providing an open environment for innovative software technologies to speedily grow and develop, providing software developers with an arena to share achievements and a channel to cooperate and exchange information, with the environment in China to promote software services; becoming the new reference for evaluation and assessment of Chinese software levels, organizing and shaping related domestic software standards with leading technological objectives.
It is believed that CoSoft is an effective integration of the “government, industry, universities and colleges, research institutions” at present to create a brilliant future for Chinese software industry.

4. Will CoSoft be involved in market competition?

As CoSoft is a nonprofit technological league, we welcome any companies, organizations and individuals, who are determined to develop Chinese software industry to join in, widely achieve intelligence accumulation and effectively spread achievements via flexible open source strategies, and explore new methodology in collective innovation in software industry.
CoSoft will actively promote its concept and seek for evidence for its success. It will parallel CoSoft and its members with other non-CoSoft members via a variety of media and means. Still, CoSoft will try to maintain its neutral position as information source, meanwhile allowing its members involved in free market competition in their own areas.
At the same time, CoSoft will be engaged in providing its members with top quality and composite technological services, including supervision of advanced projects, software testing and quality guarantee, training certification and publishing, etc.

5. What are the services of CoSoft?

As stipulated by CoSoft’s Regulations, CoSoft’s services include: promoting the growth and development of innovative software technologies; providing software technological services. CoSoft will push the growth and development of innovative software technologies according to the Licensing Rules and via open means. Our task primarily covers: (1) working out plans for innovative software technologies to grow and develop, and providing environmental support; (2) recruiting software production, testing and evaluating recruited software; (3) shape, maintain and manage series versions of software to meet the demands from specific areas.
CoSoft’s software services will follow its business mode. They will primarily cover: (1) distribute CoSoft’s software with compensation. (2) provide technical services with compensation, including technological consultation, training, working out solutions, publishing teaching materials and publications, etc.
Detailed information on these services will be found in related service regulations.
CoSoft will in due course organize the standardization of software technologies, and exchange information with other related organizations.

6. What’s the organizational structure of CoSoft?

CoSoft is composed of the members, the Council and executing agencies. The Council directors are key member representatives and domestically famous experts. The Council is the uppermost policy maker and business evaluator. Any software staff and group who uphold CoSoft’s proclamation, rules and regulations and work rules may apply for membership. Members principally conduct CoSoft’s business. Guided by the Council, the executing agencies take full charge of organizing and coordinating CoSoft’s business and development. The members of executing agencies are full-time professionals.

7. What kind of open source projects CoSoft is now involved in?

Answers to this question will change with the time. Currently, inside CoSoft, a series of system software research projects funded by National 863-306 Programs have almost been completed. For detailed information, please refer to CoSoft’s web site about coordinated development of National 863 Program. As the operating mechanism becomes mature, realization of more state-funded projects is anticipated. At the same time, CoSoft will also be involved in some projects independently based upon practical situation, and CoSoft members are welcomed to organize projects by themselves. CoSoft would provide environmental and service support.
Besides, CoSoft will also organize evaluation, selection, publishing and spreading of plenty of available open source codes, provide software enterprises in Beijing and the whole country with open source foundation software initiated by CoSoft and funded by National 863 Program, plus detailed document and data, build and constantly optimize OSS base so as to provide software enterprises along the lower reaches with technological support, carry out the technological functions of software incubator and jointly promote Chinese software industry.

8. How the Licensing Rules affect the development, publishing and sales of related products?

Right now, CoSoft licenses include General Public License and Security License. The General Public License is similar to international OSS licenses with some modifications on the basis of them to ensure no problems in future development. The Security License is directed against system software, which involves national security. According to this License, its source programs are only open within a R&D circle which has this License so as to not only ensure CoSoft’s joint development based upon national objectives but also avoid unnecessary leakage. CoSoft licenses have simply stipulated related principles. With regard to the development, publishing and sales of specific products, corresponding licenses should be worked out in the context of not violating these principles, or simply introducing different kinds of licenses which are compatible with CoSoft licenses.

FAQ ABOUT Membership

9. What’s the significance of joining CoSoft (why, what kind of benefits to gain, and my commitments)?
One of the original intentions of establishing CoSoft was to “achieve intelligence accumulation”. For this, aside from being engaged in pooling brilliant domestic and international technical data and providing platform for project development, CoSoft also hopes to extensively integrate industrial strengths, provide individual technicians and technical groups with needed services and make contributions to promote the development of Chinese IT industry.

According to provisions in CoSoft’s Regulations, members enjoy the following basic rights: (1) rights to elect and be elected for representative of CoSoft’s Assembly; (2) have priorities to be involved in CoSoft’s development projects for innovative software technologies, technological service projects with compensation and events like CoSoft’s technical meetings; (3) acquisition of CoSoft’s services with compensation and favorable services with compensation; (4) the right to criticize CoSoft’s work and recommend; (5) the right to freely withdraw. Other than these rights, members enjoy other rights and interests: (1) limited access to CoSoft’s files and source code; (2) have the priorities and favorably to participate in CoSoft’s different events, such as seminars and exhibitions and favorable acquisition of CoSoft’s publications according to membership levels; (3) acquisition of space to establish and develop open source projects on coordinated development platform of CoSoft’s web site; (4) members may publish employment information on CoSoft’s web site.

CoSoft’s members should be committed to: (1) pay membership dues pursuant to CoSoft’s business rules; (2) actively advocate CoSoft’s aims, participate in CoSoft’s events and safeguard CoSoft’s reputation; (3) actively recommend membership; (4) annually participate in at least one event published by CoSoft.

10. What are the qualifications for joining CoSoft (membership qualifications)?

As stipulated by CoSoft Regulations, CoSoft members must be basically qualified as the following: (1) groups or individuals who are involved in computer software area for R&D, education, development, industry, application, services and management; (2) group members should be legal enterprises, institutions or social organizations or their branches which are legally established and registered; (3) upholding CoSoft’s proclamation, wishing to join in CoSoft and are committed to complying with CoSoft’s Regulations and service rules.

11. Does membership application have a deadline date?

None. Membership may be applied at any time.

12. Can enterprise and institution members appoint more than one representative?

CoSoft requests each enterprise or institution to appoint only one representative to be involved in CoSoft’s events. However, in order to facilitate work, enterprises or institutions may also appoint other related personnel to act as liaison in specific activities, such as market promotion.

13. How to collect membership dues?

Membership dues are basically used in daily operations and web site maintenance. For the time being, CoSoft will not collect membership dues. However, it will work out reasonable and workable membership dues structure in due course and the structure will be decided through discussions at the Permanent Council meetings.

14. How to use the membership dues?

As stipulated by CoSoft’s Regulations, membership dues must be used in developing CoSoft’s business and services provided in these Regulations. Distribution among members is forbidden. Membership dues are primarily used in: trusteeship and maintenance of station hosts; CoSoft’s PR and marketing activities; trade mark registration; other expenses to maintain normal operations of CoSoft. CoSoft’s other funds such as state funding, enterprise patronage and related interests will be used in the same way. The remaining part goes to CoSoft’s budget. CoSoft has a strict financial management system, equipped with professional accountants to ensure accounting data legitimate, real, accurate and integrated. Assets management complies with related state regulations. The Assembly and competent authorities shall apply financial supervision and auditing onto CoSoft and furthermore, annual report for final accounting of revenue and expenditure will be released to the public in appropriate way. No institution or individual shall occupy, divide privately and misappropriate CoSoft’s assets.

15. Do members of CoSoft have to open all source codes?

Under CoSoft, CoSoft’s members should comply with the Licensing Rules. These Licensing Rules are keys to widely achieving software R&D intelligence accumulation and effectively spreading R&D achievements. CoSoft’s Council grants them for implementation. Depending on specific situations, contributors of open source codes may work out open source licenses, which are coherent with CoSoft’s Licensing Rules. To work them out, they should follow such principles as: (1) supporting open source principles; (2) capable of accumulating reputation for software contributors; (3) allowing users to develop application software and systems while retaining their own IPR on the basis of OSS.
Business activities undertaken by CoSoft members irrelative to CoSoft shall not be restricted by the above Rules.