From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Jonas Bernoulli Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Some hard numbers on licenses used by elisp packages Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:52:38 +0200 Message-ID: <874ltwbzpl.fsf@bernoul.li> References: <87shi4z7ps.fsf@bernoul.li> <87zic9zuof.fsf@bernoul.li> <877ezaajme.fsf@bernoul.li> <87shhw2xuv.fsf@bernoul.li> <87a844cmgx.fsf@ernst> NNTP-Posting-Host: blaine.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: blaine.gmane.org 1501239219 28883 195.159.176.226 (28 Jul 2017 10:53:39 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@blaine.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:53:39 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: mu4e 0.9.19; emacs 25.2.1 Cc: Mats Lidell , emacs-devel@gnu.org To: rms@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Jul 28 12:53:35 2017 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by blaine.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.84_2) (envelope-from ) id 1db2tf-00074L-3s for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:53:31 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:47382 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1db2tl-00033K-0W for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:53:37 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:59051) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1db2t1-00032r-OB for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:52:52 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1db2sx-0004ul-GS for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:52:51 -0400 Original-Received: from mail.hostpark.net ([212.243.197.30]:51016) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1db2sx-0004sQ-AF; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:52:47 -0400 Original-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mail.hostpark.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 81E5C16AAE; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:52:43 +0200 (CEST) X-Virus-Scanned: by Hostpark/NetZone Mailprotection at hostpark.net Original-Received: from mail.hostpark.net ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (mail0.hostpark.net [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10124) with ESMTP id G4sLW96CR9Vb; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:52:43 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from desktop (77-58-214-193.dclient.hispeed.ch [77.58.214.193]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mail.hostpark.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id EFFD116544; Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:52:42 +0200 (CEST) In-reply-to: X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Genre and OS details not recognized. X-Received-From: 212.243.197.30 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:217098 Archived-At: > Under the malign influence of GitHub, developers often don't bother to > put on a license. This means the program is not free software (nor > open source either). Github actively encourages users to specify the license. (Yes, they suggest free software as well as open source licenses.) Also I am under the impression that things are getting better, not worse. A higher percentage of new packages specify a license than in the old days. The following potential reasons for this come to mind: Packages get more exposure now (thanks to Github and even more importantly Melpa), so their authors make a bigger up front effort to do things the right way. If they don't do so initially, then it is now much easier to contact them and ask them to do it. People like Steve Purcell and me have contacted hundreds and hundreds of authors over the course of many years encouraging and helping them to improve their packages.