> Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2020 13:24:01 -0400 > From: [email protected] (Alfred M. Szmidt) > To: [email protected] > Subject: mention printing of warranty information in GUI programs > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > > What do people think about this? > > This aims to clarify that we prefer to have such information in both > --version, and in GUI programs. This came up in a discussion on > emacs-devel. > > --- standards.texi.~1.268.~ Thu Jul 30 22:34:33 2020 > +++ standards.texi Sun Oct 18 19:22:12 2020 > @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ > @setfilename standards.info > @settitle GNU Coding Standards > @c This date is automagically updated when you save this file: > -@set lastupdate June 12, 2020 > +@set lastupdate October 18, 2020 > @c %**end of header > > @dircategory GNU organization > @@ -962,6 +962,11 @@ > screen readers (see > @url{https://www.gnu.org/accessibility/accessibility.html}). This should > be automatic if you use GTK+. > + > +If your program is interactive, please also print the same information > +as for the @code{--version} option (@pxref{--version}) on program > +startup, and also provide instructions how to get more information > +about the copying conditions and warranty details. > > @node Command-Line Interfaces > @section Standards for Command Line Interfaces
I think it highly depends on the program and how it is displayed, therefore a general short sentence rule seems not to be useful. For example: If I open emacs (not a file but the plain program) it is perfectly good and useful if it shows the version and the copyright info, just as VIm does (I don't use emacs so I don't know if this is already the case) - the information does not disturb anyone, one sees the information and can open a file. If the program would open with a window/dialog and maybe even asks me to click or type "I consent" then this is only fine exactly one time for a given version. Everything else would render the program much less useful. "just want to view a file or photo, or hear your sample: then click before on this information" is like visiting a bad website "watch this short ad to continue"... And as our non-interactive programs does not print anything on each startup (but on explicit request via --version / --help) I don't think it us useful to do this in either of those places (some people may used a --nologo switch to not have a compiler/linker show a version and copyright info when they just wanted to compile/link a source). In any case every GUI (or TUI) program should have a help->about entry where this information (and/or the more extensive variant "more information") can be found. Simon
