Friday, 24 January 2025

Re: Clarifying and Documenting Licensing Requirements and Best Practices in Ubuntu

i,

On mer. 22 janv. 2025 19:39:04, Simon Quigley wrote:
> Hi Simon,
>
> On 1/22/25 04:51 AM, Simon Chopin wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> >
> > On mer. 22 janv. 2025 01:03:23, Simon Quigley wrote:
> > [snip]
> >> When you should (not) rewrite a copyright file to use DEP-5
> >> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >>
> >> You **should** rewrite a copyright file to use DEP-5 if:
> >>
> >> * you are updating to a new upstream version in an Ubuntu-only package.
> >> * you are updating to a new upstream version in a package that is in both
> >> Debian and Ubuntu, and you are sending the delta upstream to Debian.
> >
> > I disagree on that specific point. The point of sending the delta is to
> > get said delta adopted by the Debian maintainer. Changing d/copyright is
> > just adding friction. The best case scenario is that the maintainer
> > wanted to do it but didn't have time, but even then it's still more
> > effort than just keeping the old format, since you don't have to review
> > it.
>
> I had a few specific examples in mind when writing this...
>
> Bad:
> - I'm changing the copyright format in Ubuntu, and the package exists in Debian but I don't really care about sending things upstream to Debian.
> - The Debian maintainer has a specific format for copyright that they like, and it's not against policy to keep it that way, but I don't care about or respect their wishes.
>
> Good:
> - Before uploading a delta that has a major copyright update, open a bug in Debian and ask for feedback.
> - The Debian maintainer is MIA and the package has a sizeable Ubuntu delta, so we might as well update the copyright file format as part of the delta.
> - It's an Ubuntu-only package.
>
> I'd say the case that bullet point applies to is less frequent as time goes on. That being said, if a copyright file is just plain *wrong*, that affects inclusion in the archive, and thus needs to be taken up with the Debian maintainer.
>
> There's a line to draw... don't frustrate the Debian maintainer, but also alert them if you spot something off.
>
> Do you (or anyone else) have suggestions for the best wording on this?

I'd just remove the sentence entirely. The lists don't need to be
exhaustive, and should limit themselves to cases where we're 100% sure
it's the Right Thing To Do.

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