From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Konstantin Kharlamov Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Documenting FSF copyright assignment process Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2019 02:33:21 +0300 Message-ID: <1554939201.27299.0@yandex.ru> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Injection-Info: blaine.gmane.org; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:195.159.176.226"; logging-data="263002"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@blaine.gmane.org" Cc: Richard Stallman To: Emacs developers Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Apr 11 01:33:44 2019 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17]) by blaine.gmane.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:256) (Exim 4.89) (envelope-from ) id 1hEMiu-0016I6-5y for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 11 Apr 2019 01:33:44 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:39169 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1hEMit-0006N5-6k for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 10 Apr 2019 19:33:43 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([209.51.188.92]:46362) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1hEMin-0006Mn-4z for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 10 Apr 2019 19:33:38 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1hEMij-0007rT-EO for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 10 Apr 2019 19:33:35 -0400 Original-Received: from forward104p.mail.yandex.net ([2a02:6b8:0:1472:2741:0:8b7:107]:44850) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1hEMif-0007nJ-IY; Wed, 10 Apr 2019 19:33:32 -0400 Original-Received: from mxback11o.mail.yandex.net (mxback11o.mail.yandex.net [IPv6:2a02:6b8:0:1a2d::62]) by forward104p.mail.yandex.net (Yandex) with ESMTP id E42D64B00626; Thu, 11 Apr 2019 02:33:22 +0300 (MSK) Original-Received: from smtp1j.mail.yandex.net (smtp1j.mail.yandex.net [2a02:6b8:0:801::ab]) by mxback11o.mail.yandex.net (nwsmtp/Yandex) with ESMTP id IBQZyLEEaq-XMg4Tlij; Thu, 11 Apr 2019 02:33:22 +0300 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=yandex.ru; s=mail; t=1554939202; bh=bYiV4mZq7RJdWsUq7/yGH8izwUSI5XsM9oChLrW+yoQ=; h=Cc:To:Subject:From:Date:Message-Id; b=tlfl+xcrCeoXxaL6Dqf5lZoJOfGHzKOlB9TkcZE9zQJ8u8o2UwVukZrTxwlipDg5e jpJtKZ671xH29cgyKt64tFdHSCZpco/3E6SQnNId2b2kz7ymyJtjNsqK2izW9+MQ+2 A4UHOvpLxCGJJI5AW95roeeRqNZbDc/nSSznbP3U= Authentication-Results: mxback11o.mail.yandex.net; dkim=pass header.i=@yandex.ru Original-Received: by smtp1j.mail.yandex.net (nwsmtp/Yandex) with ESMTPSA id MpPxLShagx-XMICglKj; Thu, 11 Apr 2019 02:33:22 +0300 (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 (128/128 bits)) (Client certificate not present) X-Mailer: geary/remotes/upstream/mainline-0-gdc656d7a X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.2.x-3.x [generic] X-Received-From: 2a02:6b8:0:1472:2741:0:8b7:107 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.21 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: "Emacs-devel" Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:235258 Archived-At: I was wondering about that off-list, and I was asked to create a new=20 topic about that. I recently went through the signing procedure, and one thing I didn't=20 like which can be improved: the specific steps up to sending a mail to=20 assign@gnu.org are not documented. In my case I had to send a private=20 mail to Eli asking for the assignment form, he sent it back to me along=20 with further instructions; then I filled the form and sent it to=20 assign@gnu.org. This is a roundtrip that takes time for both maintainer and a user.=20 Additionally, users are not even sure if what they're doing is correct,=20 e.g. look at the last "assignment"-titled mail on this list, it starts=20 with "I'm not sure if it's the right place to ask this". Yes, neither=20 was I! That only adds up confusion and frustration (which is likely=20 already there because you can't "just contribute" like with other FOSS=20 projects). Even more so when one has social communication problems,=20 which I think is not that rare among scientists/developers. It would really help if the emacs documentation about assignment=C2=B9 has=20 either =CE=B1) a paragraph with the form to be sent to assign@gnu.org and=20 according instructions, or =CE=B2) if it has to be documented on another=20 site, e.g. FSF's, it would help to put a link to emacs documentation=C2=B9=20 after the words "Copyright assignment is a simple process." (and I hope=20 that this would-be referred documentation includes =CE=B1; preferrably with= =20 any legal notes =E2=80=94 if there will be any =E2=80=94 moved somewhere at= the=20 bottom). 1:=20 https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Copyright-Assignm= ent.html#Copyright-Assignment =