W. Trevor King: > >> But you can't define a LicenseRef in sitations (like npm [1]) where > >> the only thing you can set is a license expression and you don't have > >> access to the broader SPDX spec. > >> [1]: https://docs.npmjs.com/files/package.json#license >
Gisi, Mark: > This is not a problem with the license expression language. It is a problem > with the SPDX identifier mechanism. LicenseRefs are SPDX's cornerstone way > of handling the many many non-standard license notices found every day in > source code. In the above example you don't need an "only" operator you > need a way to include LicenseRefs when using SPDX identifiers. LicenseRefs > are so important that they need to be addressed in the SPDX identifier > mechanism independent of your situation. I disagree. LicenseRef is not a cornerstone, and for many use cases it's irrelevant. Many tools and formats *only* support SPDX license expressions, so it's very useful to make it easy to express simple constructs like "*ONLY* version 2 of the GPL is acceptable". If people think they "need" a LicenseRef, it's often one of two cases: 1. The SPDX license list has an important omission (time to report the license to SPDX, not to use a LicenseRef!) 2. There's a weird license in use by a third party. As a developer or potential user, I'm probably going to just avoid using that software, in which case problem solved... I really don't need a "LicenseRef" to tell me more. If not, I'm going to ask a lawyer to look at the REAL legal text, not the LicenseRef. In that case, "OTHER" works just as LicenseRef to note that there's something different. For people considering whether or not they should use some software, they just need to know if they might be in dangerous waters. Yes, if you have a full SDPX file, more information can be useful. But *lots* of people use SPDX license expressions separately. --- David A. Wheeler _______________________________________________ Spdx-legal mailing list Spdx-legal@lists.spdx.org https://lists.spdx.org/mailman/listinfo/spdx-legal
