Re: [PATCH] gnu: Add sparse.

[Cyril Roelandt <tipecaml@gmail.com>]

On 02/26/2013 09:13 AM, Ludovic Courtès wrote:
> Cyril Roelandt<tipecaml@gmail.com>  skribis:
>
>> This patch adds sparse.
>
> Thanks!  Would it make sense to put it in linux.scm?
>

It's not really Linux-specific, even though it is mainly used by Linux 
hackers. I think it's used by smatch, a static analysis tool developed 
by Dan Carpenter, that can be used on any piece of C code, for instance. 
It's also used in the test-suite of git.

>> I had to add the Open Software License to guix/licenses.scm. Debian
>> does not think of it as a Free Software license, but I think it's OK
>> with GNU.
>
> The page at<https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OSL>
> contains says it’s free but mentions worrisome details:
>
>     Recent versions of the Open Software License have a term which
>     requires distributors to try to obtain explicit assent to the
>     license. This means that distributing OSL software on ordinary FTP
>     sites, sending patches to ordinary mailing lists, or storing the
>     software in an ordinary version control system, is arguably a
>     violation of the license and would subject you to possible
>     termination of the license.  [...]
>
> We’re not distributing it, just distributing the build recipes.
> However, would it be a violation to distribute pre-built binaries on
> Hydra?  Could you check that?

Indeed, this is the ninth clause. Maybe I should email the current 
sparse maintainer and ask him ?

Cyril.