Is it possible to allow external images from lucidchart?

[Karsten 'quaid' Wade]

On 11/28/2012 05:08 AM, Mike Kolesnik wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Lucidchart is an online diagram drawing tool which is very convenient
> to use and has an ability to export the diagram as an image. This
> image is then kept up-to-date with diagram changes.
> 
> Would it be possible to add this site to $wgAllowExternalImagesFrom
> [1] ?
> 
> The address start with https://www.lucidchart.com/
> 
> This will help immensely in editing & keeping wiki up to date with
> diagrams .
> 
> [1] http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgAllowExternalImagesFrom

Three quick reactions.

First, we're in the middle of a MediaWiki migration, so we need to wait
a period of time for that to be completed and fix any problems. One or
two weeks should be plenty of time.

Second, from a project perspective, if it helps contributors, it's worth
considering how to make it available for participation.

Third, form a personal and project perspective, I get very nervous with
each piece of non-FOSS that we rely upon for the infrastructure of
participation. From a purely practical standpoint, it puts us at risk in
several ways. Since this isn't a key infrastructure component and it's
provided as a service, it's a relatively low risk. But I think we should
approach proprietary solutions carefully, like sleeping tigers.

Final thing to ponder - as content and code for oVirt is all licensed
under the Apache License or Creative Commons, what would you do with
these charts? I presume we have the right to license the chart itself,
as a result of our own work. But if the tool that makes the free/open
content is not FOSS, what does that mean about our ability to exercise
essential freedoms around the charts?

In other words, if I don't have the rights to freely use the creation
tool, the free/opn provenance of the image is broken. It would be
similar to using PhotoShop to create graphics for oVirt technical
manuals, with the files all as PSDs that only PhotoShop can properly
work with. This restricts the ability for others to contribute to the
project unless they have PhotoShop, etc.

(The above pondering is why projects such as Fedora require graphics
work to be done with 100% free/open source images (no stock photos,
etc.) and created using 100% FOSS tools.)

- Karsten
-- 
Karsten 'quaid' Wade, Sr. Analyst - Community Growth
http://TheOpenSourceWay.org  .^\  http://community.redhat.com
@quaid (identi.ca/twitter/IRC)  \v'  gpg: AD0E0C41

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