GNU bug report logs - #15787
Standardize license notice?

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 10:30:33 +0800

In some files, the license notice starts as:

   This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or
   [...]

but in some other files, the license notice starts as:

    GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
    [...]

Maybe we should standardize them?

-- 
Best regards, Xue Fuqiao.
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/

Message #8 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 23:07:48 -0400

Xue Fuqiao wrote:

> In some files, the license notice starts as:
>
>    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or
>    [...]
>
> but in some other files, the license notice starts as:
>
>     GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
>     [...]
>
> Maybe we should standardize them?

If it makes you happy. Take care to avoid things that are _not_ part of
Emacs, such as files from gnulib, oldxmenu files, etc.

(Did you really need to make a bug report for this?)

Message #11 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 09:30:15 +0200

> Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 10:30:33 +0800
> From: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
> 
> In some files, the license notice starts as:
> 
>    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or
>    [...]
> 
> but in some other files, the license notice starts as:
> 
>     GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
>     [...]

The files that use the former language are files we get from other
projects and distributions, such as gmulib.  Making these changes in
them would just mean more merge conflicts for no good reason.

So please don't do this.

Message #14 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 15:48:31 +0800

On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 3:30 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
>> In some files, the license notice starts as:
>>
>>    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or
>>    [...]
>>
>> but in some other files, the license notice starts as:
>>
>>     GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
>>     [...]
>
> The files that use the former language are files we get from other
> projects and distributions, such as gmulib.  Making these changes in
> them would just mean more merge conflicts for no good reason.
>
> So please don't do this.

I don't think so.  What about regex.{h, c}?  termcap.c?  tparam.c?  Many
tests in test/automated?  gnus-icalendar.el?  and so on...

-- 
Best regards, Xue Fuqiao.
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/

Message #17 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 10:08:21 +0200

> Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 15:48:31 +0800
> From: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
> Cc: 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 3:30 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
> >> In some files, the license notice starts as:
> >>
> >>    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or
> >>    [...]
> >>
> >> but in some other files, the license notice starts as:
> >>
> >>     GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
> >>     [...]
> >
> > The files that use the former language are files we get from other
> > projects and distributions, such as gmulib.  Making these changes in
> > them would just mean more merge conflicts for no good reason.
> >
> > So please don't do this.
> 
> I don't think so.  What about regex.{h, c}?

gnulib

> termcap.c?  tparam.c?

From GNU termcap, AFAIK.

> Many tests in test/automated?

You will need to talk to their authors: some of thse might come from
external repositories.

> gnus-icalendar.el?

Gnus is developed in a separate repository that is from time to time
synced with Emacs.  If you want to change their copyright notices,
talk to them.

> and so on...

Please present an exhaustive list, it is impossible to argue about "so
on".

In any case, the bulk of the files in this category are from outside
Emacs.  So even if we change a few of them, the majority should not be
modified.

Message #20 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 16:13:43 +0800

On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 4:08 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
>> On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 3:30 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
>> >> In some files, the license notice starts as:
>> >>
>> >>    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or
>> >>    [...]
>> >>
>> >> but in some other files, the license notice starts as:
>> >>
>> >>     GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
>> >>     [...]
>> >
>> > The files that use the former language are files we get from other
>> > projects and distributions, such as gmulib.  Making these changes in
>> > them would just mean more merge conflicts for no good reason.
>> >
>> > So please don't do this.
>>
>> I don't think so.  What about regex.{h, c}?
>
> gnulib
>
>> termcap.c?  tparam.c?
>
> From GNU termcap, AFAIK.
>
>> Many tests in test/automated?
>
> You will need to talk to their authors: some of thse might come from
> external repositories.
>
>> gnus-icalendar.el?
>
> Gnus is developed in a separate repository that is from time to time
> synced with Emacs.  If you want to change their copyright notices,
> talk to them.

Ah, I see, thank you.  (And sorry for being incorrect.)

>> and so on...
>
> Please present an exhaustive list, it is impossible to argue about "so
> on".
>
> In any case, the bulk of the files in this category are from outside
> Emacs.  So even if we change a few of them, the majority should not be
> modified.

I'll look into it.

-- 
Best regards, Xue Fuqiao.
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/

Message #23 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Richard Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: xfq.free <at> gmail.com, 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 19:10:33 -0400

        [ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider
        [ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,
        [ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example.

If you think you found a file that says "this program" but should say it
is part of GNU Emacs, please ask the list to check that it is officially
part of GNU Emacs.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin St
Boston MA 02110
USA
www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
  Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call.

Message #26 received at 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
To: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 15787 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15787: Standardize license notice?
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 20:52:33 -0400

> I'll look into it.

Don't bother, it's a complete waste of time.  The formulation with "This
program" is always valid.  The formulation with "Emacs" is valid for
some files but nor for all.  So we can't standardize on "Emacs", and we
don't want to standardize on "This program", so we can't standardize on
a single text.  So just close your eyes when you see these notices.
Or use one of the "hide-copyright-notice" packages and move on to more
useful projects that end-users will actually notice.


        Stefan "e.g. vc-shelve"

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