[tex-live] catalogue -- minor license clarification issues (artistic and others)

Robin Fairbairns Robin.Fairbairns at cl.cam.ac.uk
Fri Oct 2 09:10:19 CEST 2009


Alexander Cherepanov <cherepan at mccme.ru> wrote:

> Some minor license clarification issues.
> 
> --- mkjobtexmf -------------------------------------------------------
> 
> From README:
> 
>   License
>   =======
>   The file is part of project mkjobtexmf.
>   It's free software; you may redistribute it and/or
>   modify it under the same terms as Perl itself
>   (Perl Artistic License/GNU General Public License, version 2).
> 
> From the Catalogue (mkjobtexmf.xml):
> 
>   <license type='artistic'/>
> 
> Robin, could the license type be changed to gpl (with a note like 
> 'same as perl: artistc/gpl')? It's as true as the current license type 
> but the package will be listed as free which is nice. Especially when 
> everything else in a distribution is free (as in texlive).

i've asked for, and not yet had, clarification of this licence.  the
author hasn't answered my question.

it's not helped by the ctan upload form description of artistic and its
(free) version 2.

> --- texdiff ----------------------------------------------------------
> 
> From README:
> 
>   COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
>       Copyleft 2006-2009, Mark Doll and Cengiz Gunay
> 
>       This library is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it
>       under the same terms as Perl itself.
> 
> From the Catalogue (texdiff.xml):
> 
>   <license type='artistic' checked='2009-09-24' file='README'
>            version='0.4' username='robin'/>
> 
> Could this also be changed to gpl?

i dunno.  i guess i ought to ask cengiz.

> --- texdirflatten ----------------------------------------------------
> 
> From README:
> 
>   COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
>       Copyleft 2003-2009, Cengiz Gunay
> 
>       This library is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it
>       under the same terms as Perl itself.
> 
> From the Catalogue (texdirflatten.xml):
> 
>   <license type='artistic' note='claimed on upload only - nothing in files'/>
> 
> Could this also be changed to gpl?

as above.

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> The rest of the packages are not in texlive so of interest only for 
> ctan@ .
> 
> ---- tengtex ---------------------------------------------------------
> 
> From the Catalogue (dvi2tty.xml):

not actually, but we get what you mean ;-)

>   <license type='other-free' checked='2008-12-19' file='vanda.tex'
>            version='1.00' username='robin'
>            note='that licence file is written in pseudo-tolkien, but
>                  does seem to say that distribution may be free'/>
>                  
> From vanda.tex:
> 
>   I hereby offer these spells to all who would have them, for toil or
>   for~mirth, and I grant them leave to copy them. But credit they shall
>   give in their hearts to me, Tolkien, F\"eanor, Aul\"e and Eru, and
>   they shall not trade the spells, nor any thing wrought therewith, for
>   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>   gold, silver and jewels. Death in torment and darkness shall be the
>   doom of the greedy who heed not this oath, and their names shall not
>   be~uttered, but shall be forgotten for~ever between the borders of the
>   world and beyond them.
> 
> Seems like nosell? (My pseudo-tolkien is more poor then my English 
> though:-)

i'll take another look at that.

> ---- wordweb ---------------------------------------------------------
> 
> From the Catalogue (wordweb.xml):
> 
>   <license type='noinfo' checked='2009-01-07' file='*'
>            version='1993-06-30' username='robin'
>            note='licence information may exist in .doc files...'/>
>            
> From WORDWEB.DOC:
> 
>   Disclaimer
>   This program is provided merely as a jumping-off point for future 
>   work by others, and therefore comes with no warranty whatsoever.  
>   The author has no intention of supporting it, as he does not use it 
>   himself.  This work is freely distributable, and it is expected that 
>   works derived from it will be freely distributable as well.  If you 
>   create a work based on this program that you intend to release 
>   commercially, you must first get permission from the author.  If 
>   your work is to be distributed at no charge, no special permission 
>   is necessary, but you must give appropriate credit to Lee Wittenberg 
>   and Tipton Cole+Co. in your documentation and copyright (or 
>   copyleft) notices..
> 
> NEWWWEB.DOC contains the same disclaimer.
> 
> Looks like "nosell".

i guess so.  has the same effect for tex live, of course (if tex live
were ever to imagine using it.

> --- figsinltx --------------------------------------------------------
> 
> From the Catalogue (figsinltx.xml):
> 
>   <license type='noinfo' checked='2008-10-10' file='figsinltx.ps'
>            version='1.1' username='robin'
>            note='no source available'/>
> 
> I think it's better to classify it as "nosource"? (Assuming that the 
> fact of submission to ctan implies the permission to distribute.)

indeed: must have been suffering brain fade when i wrote that.  not a
big deal, since its targetted at latex 2.09 and isn't much help
nowadays.  (pity, since it's rather nicely written.)

robin


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