libticonv at mentors
Hi Albert, I had a look at libticonv at mentors uploaded there on 2012-09-29 03:28. About this in README, and the details missing in COPYING : | (A special exception applies when linking the library into TilEm, see the | COPYING file for details.) I read this in debian/copyright : | From: Benjamin Moody benjamin.mo...@gmail.com | Date: Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 3:50 PM | All true, and if you want to drop that exception in future versions | you'll have no objections from me. | . | This exception only ever applied to libticables2; if it's mentioned in | the other libraries' README files I'm sure that was a mistake. According to the AUTHORS file he is only author of the part TI8x charset images. I also read this in debian/copyright : | From: Lionel Debroux lionel_debr...@yahoo.fr | Date: Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 1:09 PM | Well, said exception was created years before my time as the maintainer... | I _think_ that this exception is obsolete nowadays, as TilEm 2.0 is | completely free software. TilEm 0.x used a component with a non-free | license, but it has been replaced with free software for the TilEm 2.0 | release, produced this year, which Albert is attempting to package for | Debian as well. He writes before my time and I _think_, so he doesn't know. And I don't find his name as an author or as a copyright holder. So at this point libticonv-1.1.3.tar.bz2 contains README and COPYING files with incomplete license information, and so far upstream has not yet properly fixed this issue. The funny thing is that it was Lionel Debroux who added this exception in README on 2009-11-24. That seems to contradict with before my time. http://tilp.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=tilp/libticonv;a=history;f=README Regards, Bart Martens -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-mentors-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121001100547.gb3...@master.debian.org
Re: libticonv at mentors
Hello, About this in README, and the details missing in COPYING : | (A special exception applies when linking the library into TilEm, see the | COPYING file for details.) I read this in debian/copyright : | From: Benjamin Moody benjamin.mo...@gmail.com | Date: Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 3:50 PM | All true, and if you want to drop that exception in future versions | you'll have no objections from me. | . | This exception only ever applied to libticables2; if it's mentioned in | the other libraries' README files I'm sure that was a mistake. According to the AUTHORS file he is only author of the part TI8x charset images. I believed that he had some part in the development, but I guess not enough. However, he is the current upstream for the TilEm program, and he may know a bit of the history behind it. Nevertheless, I'll leave the current libticonv upstream to decide. I also read this in debian/copyright : | From: Lionel Debroux lionel_debr...@yahoo.fr | Date: Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 1:09 PM | Well, said exception was created years before my time as the maintainer... | I _think_ that this exception is obsolete nowadays, as TilEm 2.0 is | completely free software. TilEm 0.x used a component with a non-free | license, but it has been replaced with free software for the TilEm 2.0 | release, produced this year, which Albert is attempting to package for | Debian as well. He writes before my time and I _think_, so he doesn't know. And I don't find his name as an author or as a copyright holder. So at this point libticonv-1.1.3.tar.bz2 contains README and COPYING files with incomplete license information, and so far upstream has not yet properly fixed this issue. The funny thing is that it was Lionel Debroux who added this exception in README on 2009-11-24. That seems to contradict with before my time. http://tilp.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=tilp/libticonv;a=history;f=README Interesting find - I'll again CC the upstream for clarification about this issue (and for a potential fix). I believe though that the project ownership has been transferred to Lionel Debroux, so he may have more authority on copyright decision. Again, CC'ing for clarification. For now, I'll go with the ambiguous license specified in README and reupload soon. Thanks! Albert
Fwd: libticonv at mentors
Hello, Upstream forgot to use his reply all button, so I'm forwarding his message accordingly. Basically, a few key points: - According to upstream, the debian/copyright comment that I've placed in is valid. - Benjamin Moody and Lionel Debroux are indeed upstream maintainers. - The exception is now invalid, does not apply to the current packages, and will eventually be dropped in the upstream VCS (and future releases). That said, should I still change the debian/copyright to include the exception, or go with upstream and leave it as is? Thanks! Albert -- Forwarded message -- From: Lionel Debroux lionel_debr...@yahoo.fr Date: Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 4:01 PM Subject: Re: libticonv at mentors To: Albert Huang alberth.deb...@gmail.com Hi Albert, About this in README, and the details missing in COPYING : | (A special exception applies when linking the library into TilEm, see the | COPYING file for details.) I read this in debian/copyright : | From: Benjamin Moody benjamin.mo...@gmail.com | Date: Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 3:50 PM | All true, and if you want to drop that exception in future versions you'll have no objections from me. | . | This exception only ever applied to libticables2; if it's mentioned in the other libraries' README files I'm sure that was a mistake. According to the AUTHORS file he is only author of the part TI8x charset images. I believed that he had some part in the development, but I guess not enough. However, he is the current upstream for the TilEm program, and he may know a bit of the history behind it. Nevertheless, I'll leave the current libticonv upstream to decide. The SCM log mentions Benjamin as the source of the patch for for e.g. SVN r4418, which is before 1.16. That, in my opinion, makes him an author. It's a contribution to users. All that matters is that he added a (minor) feature. Having 100% accurate copyright information is impossible in a 10+-year-old code base where said information was, AFAICT, not tracked properly by the previous maintainers; I cannot pretend that I didn't let any mention of authorship slip, though I tried to put such information in the commit messages... And I don't find his name as an author or as a copyright holder. Both Benjamin and I are, indeed. The funny thing is that it was Lionel Debroux who added this exception in README on 2009-11-24. That seems to contradict with before my time. That seems to do, but it does not :) http://tilp.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=tilp/libticonv;a=history;f=README Interesting find - I'll again CC the upstream for clarification about this issue (and for a potential fix). At the time I added this bit to the README, it had already existed for a long time at other places, but not this one. The non-free TilEm 0.9x (made years before my time as the maintainer) still made sense, and therefore, the exception still made sense; but nowadays, in 2012, with the advent of the TilEm 2.x, which is fully free software, the exception does no longer make sense. The forwards-looking fix is, AFAICT from the previous round of discussion by e-mail, which you correctly put in the debian/copyright file, to drop the exception. Debian is never going to package those very outdated, and what's more non-free, versions anyway. I believe though that the project ownership has been transferred to Lionel Debroux, so he may have more authority on copyright decision. Project co-maintainership was transferred to me, indeed. Bye, Lionel.
