Add SlicerOpenLIFU

[arhowe00]

New extension

Tier 1

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Tier 3

Community-supported extensions.

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• All requirements of tiers < 5.

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An issue was opened regarding the variable set below in the root CMakeLists.txt:

set(EXTENSION_SCREENSHOTURLS "https://github.com/OpenwaterHealth/SlicerOpenLIFU/blob/main/Screenshots/1.png")

where Screenshots is supposed to be all lowercase as in the extension repository SlicerOpenLIFU.

[pieper]

Thanks for your work on this and interest in contributing.

We saw that the license for the code is AGPL, which we interpret as a "non-permissive" license, since it may require people to change the license on other code it's mixed with. So from a Slicer point of view, that would make this a "tier 1" extension. In the future we plan not to display tier 1 extensions by default.

I'd encourage you to try revisiting the license in order to collaborate more closely with the rest of the 3D Slicer community. There are many points of possible mutual benefit with projects like NousNav and SlicerTMS, but those collaborations won't be possible if you stick to the AGPL license. Please consider Apache 2.0, BSD, the Slicer License, or another option that would allow collaboration.

Also, just a comment on the readme: it would be good to include a definition of LIFU and also links to your company's website to make it easier for people to quickly understand what the project is about.

[ebrahimebrahim]

The license is a fixed choice by Openwater in this case and not likely to change. We could include a copyleft warning for anyone who tries to mix the extension into their own work. It would be convenient

Also, just a comment on the readme: it would be good to include a definition of LIFU and also links to your company's website to make it easier for people to quickly understand what the project is about.

Good idea. @arhowe00 here is some introductory text we could add:

Low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is a method of neuromodulation. This uses ultrasound as a non-destructive treatment as opposed to using it for imaging.

This link to early access systems may be appropriate to include for now: https://www.openwater.health/early-access-systems

[arhowe00]

Made these changes (including fixing the link) and posting a PR to SlicerOpenLIFU.

[arhowe00]

Changes have been pushed to main @pieper

[lassoan]

In medical image computing, permissive (MIT, Apache, BSD) licenses are the standard for open-source tools, probably because restrictive licenses practically prevent translating prototypes into clinical use. A restrictive license is acceptable in the Extensions Index, but to increase the impact of this extension and encourage community engagement, a permissive license would be a much better fit.

Would you be able to start a discussion with your funder about their open-source strategy and goals? They may find that the extreme AGPL license is not the best choice to achieve those goals. We would be happy to provide more details or participate in meetings if that helps.

[ebrahimebrahim]

The choice of AGPL seems to be quite deliberate, but it doesn't hurt to ask and I'm not actually sure it's non-negotiable or that nothing has changed since that choice was made. We can reach out and get back to you @lassoan and @pieper. Thanks!