From 0d27b63747d5bbec8a70907e7d85df686cf25cc0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Gerald Combs Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2021 14:09:21 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] FAQ: Add items about forms and contracts. We occasionally get requests to fill in compliance forms and to sign contracts. Add items for those. Move the name change question to a historical intrest section. --- docbook/faq.adoc | 70 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------- 1 file changed, 43 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-) diff --git a/docbook/faq.adoc b/docbook/faq.adoc index 7922f4f094..b31dfcd221 100644 --- a/docbook/faq.adoc +++ b/docbook/faq.adoc @@ -28,33 +28,7 @@ unsupported and has known security vulnerabilities. For more information, please see the https://www.wireshark.org/about.html[About Wireshark] page. -=== What's up with the name change? Is Wireshark a fork? - -In May of 2006, Gerald Combs (the original author of Ethereal) went -to work for CACE Technologies (best known for WinPcap). Unfortunately, -he had to leave the Ethereal trademarks behind. - -This left the project in an awkward position. The only reasonable way -to ensure the continued success of the project was to change the name. -This is how Wireshark was born. - -Wireshark is almost (but not quite) a fork. Normally a "fork" of an -open source project results in two names, web sites, development teams, -support infrastructures, etc. This is the case with Wireshark except for -one notable exception -- every member of the core development team is -now working on Wireshark. There has been no active development on -Ethereal since the name change. Several parts of the Ethereal web site` -(such as the mailing lists, source code repository, and build farm) have -gone offline. - -More information on the name change can be found here: - -* https://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/prweb396098.htm[Original press -release] -* https://www.linux.com/news/ethereal-changes-name-wireshark[NewsForge article] -* Many other articles in https://www.wireshark.org/bibliography.html[our -bibliography] - +[[wheretogethelp]] === Where can I get help? Community support is available on the @@ -139,6 +113,19 @@ We recommend keeping Wireshark and your product completely separate, communicating over sockets or pipes. If you're loading any part of Wireshark as a DLL, you're probably doing it wrong. +=== Can you help me fill out this compliance form so that I can use Wireshark? + +If you need help filling out individual items in the form, you’re certainly free to <> for help. +If you want someone within the project to fill out the form for you, we simply can’t help you. +Wireshark is developed by a team of volunteers, and while we try to make sure that it’s as easy as possible to obtain and use, filling out a form would mean taking precious time away from other aspects of the project. + +=== Can you sign this legal agreement so that I can use Wireshark? + +Probably not. +As with the previous question, we really do want you to be able to use Wireshark. +However, while we've been fortunate enough to have developers, educators, and networking experts volunteer their time, so far we haven't had any attorneys volunteer to review contracts for us pro bono. +Asking us to sign a contract is asking us to spend time reviewing that contract and/or paying for an attorney to do so that you can use Wireshark for free. + === What protocols are currently supported? There are currently hundreds of supported protocols and media. @@ -1068,3 +1055,32 @@ Note that Wireshark was not designed to be an intrusion detection system; you might be able to use it as an IDS, but in most cases software designed to be an IDS, such as https://www.snort.org/[Snort] or https://www.prelude-siem.org/[Prelude], will probably work better. + +== Questions Which Are Still Notable Even Though They Aren’t Asked Much Any More + +=== What's up with the name change? Is Wireshark a fork? + +In May of 2006, Gerald Combs (the original author of Ethereal) went +to work for CACE Technologies (best known for WinPcap). Unfortunately, +he had to leave the Ethereal trademarks behind. + +This left the project in an awkward position. The only reasonable way +to ensure the continued success of the project was to change the name. +This is how Wireshark was born. + +Wireshark is almost (but not quite) a fork. Normally a "fork" of an +open source project results in two names, web sites, development teams, +support infrastructures, etc. This is the case with Wireshark except for +one notable exception -- every member of the core development team is +now working on Wireshark. There has been no active development on +Ethereal since the name change. Several parts of the Ethereal web site` +(such as the mailing lists, source code repository, and build farm) have +gone offline. + +More information on the name change can be found here: + +* https://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/prweb396098.htm[Original press +release] +* https://www.linux.com/news/ethereal-changes-name-wireshark[NewsForge article] +* Many other articles in https://www.wireshark.org/bibliography.html[our +bibliography]