Subject: Re: [bug#47943] [PATCH]: Gnu: Add Weir

From: Giovanni Biscuolo <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2021 10:40:23 +0200

Hello Sharlatan,

thank you very much for your patch, Weir and generative algorithms for
art graphic production are very interesting

We should check the overall license status of weir, see below

Sharlatan Hellseher <[email-masked]> writes:

[...]

> From ffb12b7132e4e831bccab0c22b4de96923b8c079 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> From: Sharlatan Hellseher <[email-masked]>
> Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 22:34:26 +0100
> Subject: [PATCH] gnu: Add weir
>
> * gnu/packages/lisp-xyz.scm (sbcl-weir, cl-weir, ecl-weir): New variables
> ---
>  gnu/packages/lisp-xyz.scm | 53 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  1 file changed, 53 insertions(+)

[...]

> +      (home-page "https://github.com/inconvergent/weir")
> +      (synopsis "System for making generative systems")
> +      (description
> +       "This package provides Common Lisp system for generating 2d and 3d vector
> +artworks with SVG and PNG export format.")
> +      (license license:expat))))

The license file
https://github.com/inconvergent/weir/blob/master/LICENSE

contains this:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---

This code is released under the MIT license(see below). Unless otherwise noted.

Most prominent exceptions are:

1. Some utilities from On Lisp by Paul Graham (in src/various.lisp). They are
   bound by this notice:

---
This code is copyright 1993 by Paul Graham, but anyone who wants
to use the code in any nonprofit activity, or distribute free
verbatim copies (including this notice), is encouraged to do so.
---

2. Some modified code by Victor Anyakin in (in src/auxiliary/dat.lisp):

---
Copyright (c) 2013-2018 Victor Anyakin <[email-masked]>
All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
    * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
    * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
      documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
    * Neither the name of the organization nor the
      names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products
      derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND
ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL COPYRIGHT HOLDER BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;
LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND
ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
(INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
---

3. Some code suggested by @lispm (in src/auxiliary/dat.lisp, src/various.lisp). There
are links to the original suggestions

--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

AFAIU the license in 1. means that that piece of code is not free
software, since "verbatim copy" AFAIU is not free

The license in 2. AFAIU is free software, license:expat or other? Can
you clarify please?

The code referenced in 3. is suggested by lispm in
https://gist.github.com/inconvergent/8b6ccfbde4fca7844c1962082ef07a7e
and AFAIU is not a trivial patch with no clear license: I really don't
know how this kind of code is normally evaluated from a GNU FSDG point
of view

I think we need some guidance from someone more experienced in license
issues.

Thanks! Giovanni.

-- 
Giovanni Biscuolo

Xelera IT Infrastructures