1 \input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @setfilename maintain.info
4 @settitle Information For Maintainers of GNU Software
5 @c For double-sided printing, uncomment:
6 @c @setchapternewpage odd
7 @c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
8 @set lastupdate March 8, 2007
11 @dircategory GNU organization
13 * Maintaining: (maintain). Maintaining GNU software.
16 @setchapternewpage off
18 @c Put everything in one index (arbitrarily chosen to be the concept index).
25 Information for maintainers of GNU software, last updated @value{lastupdate}.
27 Copyright @copyright{} 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999,
28 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software
32 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies
33 of this entire document without royalty provided the
34 copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved.
39 @title Information For Maintainers of GNU Software
40 @author Richard Stallman
41 @author last updated @value{lastupdate}
43 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
59 * Recruiting Developers::
67 * Ethical and Philosophical Consideration::
70 * Free Software Directory::
71 * Using the Proofreaders List::
76 @chapter About This Document
78 This file contains guidelines and advice for someone who is the
79 maintainer of a GNU program on behalf of the GNU Project. Everyone is
80 entitled to change and redistribute GNU software; you need not pay
81 attention to this file to get permission. But if you want to maintain a
82 version for widespread distribution, we suggest you follow these
83 guidelines; if you would like to be a GNU maintainer, then it is
84 essential to follow these guidelines.
86 Please send corrections or suggestions for this document to
87 @email{maintainers@@gnu.org}. If you make a suggestion, please include
88 a suggested new wording for it, to help us consider the suggestion
89 efficiently. We prefer a context diff to the @file{maintain.texi} file,
90 but if you don't have that file, you can make a context diff for some
91 other version of this document, or propose it in any way that makes it
94 This document uses the gender-neutral third-person pronouns ``person'',
95 ``per'', ``pers'' and ``perself'' which were promoted, and perhaps
96 invented, by Marge Piercy in @cite{Woman on the Edge of Time}. They are
97 used just like ``she'', ``her'', ``hers'' and ``herself'', except that
98 they apply equally to males and females. For example, ``Person placed
99 per new program under the GNU GPL, to let the public benefit from per
100 work, and to enable per to feel person has done the right thing.''
102 The directory @file{/gd/gnuorg} is found on the GNU file server,
103 currently @code{fencepost.gnu.org}; if you are the maintainer of a GNU
104 package, you should have an account there. Contact
105 @email{accounts@@gnu.org} if you don't have one. (You can also ask
106 for accounts for people who help you a large amount in working on the
109 This release of the GNU Maintenance Instructions was last updated
113 @chapter Stepping Down
115 With good fortune, you will continue maintaining your package for many
116 decades. But sometimes for various reasons maintainers decide to step
119 If you're the official maintainer of a GNU package and you decide to
120 step down, please inform the GNU Project (@email{maintainers@@gnu.org}).
121 We need to know that the package no longer has a maintainer, so we can
122 look for and appoint a new maintainer.
124 If you have an idea for who should take over, please tell
125 @email{maintainers@@gnu.org} your suggestion. The appointment of a new
126 maintainer needs the GNU Project's confirmation, but your judgment that
127 a person is capable of doing the job will carry a lot of weight.
129 As your final act as maintainer, it would be helpful to set up the
130 package under @code{savannah.gnu.org} (@pxref{Old Versions}). This will
131 make it much easier for the new maintainer to pick up where you left off
132 and will ensure that the CVS tree is not misplaced if it takes us a
133 while to find a new maintainer.
135 @node Recruiting Developers
136 @chapter Recruiting Developers
138 Unless your package is a fairly small, you probably won't do all the
139 work on it yourself. Most maintainers recruit other developers to help.
141 Sometimes people will offer to help. Some of them will be capable,
142 while others will not. It's up to you to determine who provides useful
143 help, and encourage those people to participate more.
145 Some of the people who offer to help will support the GNU Project, while
146 others may be interested for other reasons. Some will support the goals
147 of the Free Software Movement, but some may not. They are all welcome
148 to help with the work---we don't ask people's views or motivations
149 before they contribute to GNU packages.
151 As a consequence, you cannot expect all contributors to support the GNU
152 Project, or to have a concern for its policies and standards. So part
153 of your job as maintainer is to exercise your authority on these points
154 when they arise. No matter how much of the work other people do, you
155 are in charge of what goes in the release. When a crucial point arises,
156 you should calmly state your decision and stick to it.
158 Sometimes a package has several co-maintainers who share the role of
159 maintainer. Unlike developers who help, co-maintainers have actually
160 been appointed jointly as the maintainers of the package, and they carry
161 out the maintainer's functions together. If you would like to propose
162 some of your developers as co-maintainers, please contact
163 @email{maintainers@@gnu.org}.
166 @chapter Legal Matters
167 @cindex legal matters
169 This chapter describes procedures you should follow for legal reasons
170 as you maintain the program, to avoid legal difficulties.
174 * Legally Significant::
175 * Recording Contributors::
176 * Copying from Other Packages::
177 * Copyright Notices::
179 * External Libraries::
182 @node Copyright Papers
183 @section Copyright Papers
184 @cindex copyright papers
186 If you maintain an FSF-copyrighted package
187 certain legal procedures are required when incorporating legally significant
188 changes written by other people. This ensures that the FSF has the
189 legal right to distribute the package, and the standing to defend its
190 GPL-covered status in court if necessary.
192 @strong{Before} incorporating significant changes, make sure that the
193 person who wrote the changes has signed copyright papers and that the
194 Free Software Foundation has received and signed them. We may also need
195 a disclaimer from the person's employer.
197 @cindex data base of GNU copyright assignments
198 To check whether papers have been received, look in
199 @file{/gd/gnuorg/copyright.list}. If you can't look there directly,
200 @email{fsf-records@@gnu.org} can check for you. Our clerk can also
201 check for papers that are waiting to be entered and inform you when
202 expected papers arrive.
204 @cindex @file{/gd/gnuorg} directory
205 @c This paragraph intentionally duplicates information given
206 @c near the beginning of the file--to make sure people don't miss it.
207 The directory @file{/gd/gnuorg} is found on the GNU machines,
208 currently @code{fencepost.gnu.org}; if you are the maintainer of a GNU
209 package, you should have an account on them. Contact
210 @email{accounts@@gnu.org} if you don't have one. (You can also ask
211 for accounts for people who help you a large amount in working on the
214 In order for the contributor to know person should sign papers, you need
215 to ask for the necessary papers. If you don't know per well, and you
216 don't know that person is used to our ways of handling copyright papers,
217 then it might be a good idea to raise the subject with a message like
221 Would you be willing to assign the copyright to the Free Software
222 Foundation, so that we could install it in @var{program}?
229 Would you be willing to sign a copyright disclaimer to put this change
230 in the public domain, so that we can install it in @var{program}?
233 If the contributor wants more information, you can send per
234 @file{/gd/gnuorg/conditions.text}, which explains per options (assign
235 vs.@: disclaim) and their consequences.
237 Once the conversation is under way and the contributor is ready for
238 more details, you should send one of the templates that are found in
239 the directory @file{/gd/gnuorg/Copyright/}; they are also available
240 from the @file{doc/Copyright/} directory of the @code{gnulib} project
241 at @url{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gnulib}. This section
242 explains which templates you should use in which circumstances.
243 @strong{Please don't use any of the templates except for those listed
244 here, and please don't change the wording.}
246 Once the conversation is under way, you can send the contributor the
247 precise wording and instructions by email. Before you do this, make
248 sure to get the current version of the template you will use! We change
249 these templates occasionally---don't keep using an old version.
251 For large changes, ask the contributor for an assignment. Send per a
252 copy of the file @file{request-assign.changes}. (Like all the
253 @samp{request-} files, it is in @file{/gd/gnuorg/Copyright} and in
256 For medium to small changes, request a disclaimer by sending per the
257 file @file{request-disclaim.changes}.
259 If the contributor is likely to keep making changes, person might want
260 to sign an assignment for all per future changes to the program. So it
261 is useful to offer per that alternative. If person wants to do it that
262 way, send per the @file{request-assign.future}.
264 When you send a @file{request-} file, you don't need to fill in anything
265 before sending it. Just send the file verbatim to the contributor. The
266 file gives per instructions for how to ask the FSF to mail per the
267 papers to sign. The @file{request-} file also raises the issue of
268 getting a copyright disclaimer from the contributor's employer.
270 When the contributor emails the form to the FSF, the FSF sends per
271 papers to sign. If person signs them right away, the whole process
272 takes about two weeks--mostly waiting for letters to go back and
275 For less common cases, we have template files you should send to the
276 contributor. Be sure to fill in the name of the person and the name
277 of the program in these templates, where it says @samp{NAME OF PERSON}
278 and @samp{NAME OF PROGRAM}, before sending; otherwise person might
279 sign without noticing them, and the papers would be useless. Note
280 that in some templates there is more than one place to put the name of
281 the program or the name of the person; be sure to change all of them.
282 All the templates raise the issue of an employer's disclaimer as well.
284 @cindex legal papers for changes in manuals
285 You do not need to ask for separate papers for a manual that is
286 distributed only in the software package it describes. But if we
287 sometimes distribute the manual separately (for instance, if we publish
288 it as a book), then we need separate legal papers for changes in the
289 manual. For smaller changes, use
290 @file{disclaim.changes.manual}; for larger ones, use
291 @file{assign.changes.manual}. To cover both past and future
292 changes to a manual, you can use @file{assign.future.manual}.
293 For a translation of a manual, use @file{assign.translation.manual}.
295 If a contributor is reluctant to sign an assignment for a large change,
296 and is willing to sign a disclaimer instead, that is acceptable, so you
297 should offer this alternative if it helps you reach agreement. We
298 prefer an assignment for a larger change, so that we can enforce the GNU
299 GPL for the new text, but a disclaimer is enough to let us use the text.
301 If you maintain a collection of programs, occasionally someone will
302 contribute an entire separate program or manual that should be added to
303 the collection. Then you can use the files
304 @file{request-assign.program}, @file{disclaim.program},
305 @file{assign.manual}, and @file{disclaim.manual}. We very much prefer
306 an assignment for a new separate program or manual, unless it is quite
307 small, but a disclaimer is acceptable if the contributor insists on
308 handling the matter that way.
310 If a contributor wants the FSF to publish only a pseudonym, that is
311 ok. The contributor should say this, and state the desired pseudonym,
312 when answering the @file{request-} form. The actual legal papers will
313 use the real name, but the FSF will publish only the pseudonym. When
314 using one of the other forms, fill in the real name but ask the
315 contributor to discuss the use of a pseudonym with
316 @email{assign@@gnu.org} before sending back the signed form.
318 @strong{Although there are other templates besides the ones listed here,
319 they are for special circumstances; please do not use them without
320 getting advice from @email{assign@@gnu.org}.}
322 If you are not sure what to do, then please ask @email{assign@@gnu.org} for
323 advice; if the contributor asks you questions about the meaning and
324 consequences of the legal papers, and you don't know the answers, you
325 can forward them to @email{assign@@gnu.org} and we will answer.
327 @strong{Please do not try changing the wording of a template yourself.
328 If you think a change is needed, please talk with @email{assign@@gnu.org},
329 and we will work with a lawyer to decide what to do.}
331 @node Legally Significant
332 @section Legally Significant Changes
334 If a person contributes more than around 15 lines of code and/or text
335 that is legally significant for copyright purposes, which means we
336 need copyright papers for it as described above.
338 A change of just a few lines (less than 15 or so) is not legally
339 significant for copyright. A regular series of repeated changes, such
340 as renaming a symbol, is not legally significant even if the symbol
341 has to be renamed in many places. Keep in mind, however, that a
342 series of minor changes by the same person can add up to a significant
343 contribution. What counts is the total contribution of the person; it
344 is irrelevant which parts of it were contributed when.
346 Copyright does not cover ideas. If someone contributes ideas but no
347 text, these ideas may be morally significant as contributions, and
348 worth giving credit for, but they are not significant for copyright
349 purposes. Likewise, bug reports do not count for copyright purposes.
351 When giving credit to people whose contributions are not legally
352 significant for copyright purposes, be careful to make that fact
353 clear. The credit should clearly say they did not contribute
354 significant code or text.
356 When people's contributions are not legally significant because they
357 did not write code, do this by stating clearly what their contribution
358 was. For instance, you could write this:
363 * Richard Mlynarik <mly@@adoc.xerox.com> (1997)
364 * Masatake Yamato <masata-y@@is.aist-nara.ac.jp> (1999)
369 @code{Ideas by:} makes it clear that Mlynarik and Yamato here
370 contributed only ideas, not code. Without the @code{Ideas by:} note,
371 several years from now we would find it hard to be sure whether they
372 had contributed code, and we might have to track them down and ask
375 When you record a small patch in a change log file, first search for
376 previous changes by the same person, and see if his past
377 contributions, plus the new one, add up to something legally
378 significant. If so, you should get copyright papers for all his
379 changes before you install the new change.
381 If that is not so, you can install the small patch. Write @samp{(tiny
382 change)} after the patch author's name, like this:
385 2002-11-04 Robert Fenk <Robert.Fenk@@gmx.de> (tiny change)
388 @node Recording Contributors
389 @section Recording Contributors
390 @cindex recording contributors
392 @strong{Keep correct records of which portions were written by whom.}
393 This is very important. These records should say which files
394 parts of files, were written by each person, and which files or
395 portions were revised by each person. This should include
396 installation scripts as well as manuals and documentation
399 These records don't need to be as detailed as a change log. They
400 don't need to distinguish work done at different times, only different
401 people. They don't need describe changes in more detail than which
402 files or parts of a file were changed. And they don't need to say
403 anything about the function or purpose of a file or change--the
404 Register of Copyrights doesn't care what the text does, just who wrote
405 or contributed to which parts.
407 The list should also mention if certain files distributed in the same
408 package are really a separate program.
410 Only the contributions that are legally significant for copyright
411 purposes (@pxref{Legally Significant}) need to be listed. Small
412 contributions, bug reports, ideas, etc., can be omitted.
414 For example, this would describe an early version of GAS:
417 Dean Elsner first version of all files except gdb-lines.c and m68k.c.
418 Jay Fenlason entire files gdb-lines.c and m68k.c, most of app.c,
419 plus extensive changes in messages.c, input-file.c, write.c
420 and revisions elsewhere.
422 Note: GAS is distributed with the files obstack.c and obstack.h, but
423 they are considered a separate package, not part of GAS proper.
426 @cindex @file{AUTHORS} file
427 Please keep these records in a file named @file{AUTHORS} in the source
428 directory for the program itself.
430 You can use the change log as the basis for these records, if you
431 wish. Just make sure to record the correct author for each change
432 (the person who wrote the change, @emph{not} the person who installed
433 it), and add @samp{(tiny change)} for those changes that are too
434 trivial to matter for copyright purposes. Later on you can update the
435 @file{AUTHORS} file from the change log. This can even be done
436 automatically, if you are careful about the formatting of the change
439 @node Copying from Other Packages
440 @section Copying from Other Packages
442 When you copy legally significant code from another free software
443 package with a GPL-compatible license, you should look in the
444 package's records to find out the authors of the part you are copying,
445 and list them as the contributors of the code that you copied. If all
446 you did was copy it, not write it, then for copyright purposes you are
447 @emph{not} one of the contributors of @emph{this} code.
449 If you are maintaining an FSF-copyrighted package, please verify we
450 have papers for the code you are copying, @emph{before} copying it.
451 If you are copying from another FSF-copyrighted package, then we
452 presumably have papers for that package's own code, but you must check
453 whether the code you are copying is part of an external library; if
454 that is the case, we don't have papers for it, so you should not copy
455 it. It can't hurt in any case to double-check with the developer of
458 When you are copying code for which we do not already have papers, you
459 need to get papers for it. It may be difficult to get the papers if
460 the code was not written as a contribution to your package, but that
461 doesn't mean it is ok to do without them. If you cannot get papers
462 for the code, you can only use it as an external library
463 (@pxref{External Libraries}).
465 @node Copyright Notices
466 @section Copyright Notices
467 @cindex copyright notices in program files
469 You should maintain a proper copyright notice and a license
470 notice in each nontrivial file in the package. (Any file more than ten
471 lines long is nontrivial for this purpose.) This includes header files
472 and interface definitions for
473 building or running the program, documentation files, and any supporting
474 files. If a file has been explicitly placed in the public domain, then
475 instead of a copyright notice, it should have a notice saying explicitly
476 that it is in the public domain.
478 Even image files and sound files should contain copyright notices and
479 license notices, if they can. Some formats do not have room for textual
480 annotations; for these files, state the copyright and copying
481 permissions in a README file in the same directory.
483 Change log files should have a copyright notice and license notice at
484 the end, since new material is added at the beginning but the end
487 When a file is automatically generated from some other file in the
488 distribution, it is useful for the automatic procedure to copy the
489 copyright notice and permission notice of the file it is generated
490 from, if possible. Alternatively, put a notice at the beginning saying
491 which file it is generated from.
493 A copyright notice looks like this:
496 Copyright (C) @var{year1}, @var{year2}, @var{year3} @var{copyright-holder}
499 The @var{copyright-holder} may be the Free Software Foundation, Inc., or
500 someone else; you should know who is the copyright holder for your
503 Replace the @samp{(C)} with a C-in-a-circle symbol if it is available.
504 For example, use @samp{@@copyright@{@}} in a Texinfo file. However,
505 stick with parenthesized @samp{C} unless you know that C-in-a-circle
506 will work. For example, a program's standard @option{--version}
507 message should use parenthesized @samp{C} by default, though message
508 translations may use C-in-a-circle in locales where that symbol is
511 To update the list of year numbers, add each year in which you have
512 made nontrivial changes to the package. (Here we assume you're using
513 a publicly accessible revision control server, so that every revision
514 installed is also immediately and automatically published.) When you
515 add the new year, it is not required to keep track which files have
516 seen significant changes in the new year and which have not. It is
517 recommended and simpler to add the new year to all files in the
518 package, and be done with it for the rest of the year.
520 For files which are regularly copied from another project (such as
521 @samp{gnulib}), the copyright notice should left as it is in the
524 Don't delete old year numbers, though; they can indicate when older
525 versions might theoretically go into the public domain. If you copy a
526 file into the package from some other program, keep the copyright
527 years that come with the file.
529 Do not abbreviate the year list using a range; for instance, do not
530 write @samp{1996--1998}; instead, write @samp{1996, 1997, 1998}.
532 The copyright statement may be split across multiple lines, both in
533 source files and in any generated output. This often happens for
534 files with a long history, having many different years of
537 For an FSF-copyrighted package, if you have followed the procedures to
538 obtain legal papers, each file should have just one copyright holder:
539 the Free Software Foundation, Inc. You should edit the file's
540 copyright notice to list that name and only that name.
542 But if contributors are not all assigning their copyrights to a single
543 copyright holder, it can easily happen that one file has several
544 copyright holders. Each contributor of nontrivial text is a copyright
547 In that case, you should always include a copyright notice in the name
548 of main copyright holder of the file. You can also include copyright
549 notices for other copyright holders as well, and this is a good idea
550 for those who have contributed a large amount and for those who
551 specifically ask for notices in their names. (Sometimes the license
552 on code that you copy in may require preserving certain copyright
553 notices.) But you don't have to include a notice for everyone who
554 contributed to the file (which would be rather inconvenient).
556 Sometimes a program has an overall copyright notice that refers to the
557 whole program. It might be in the @file{README} file, or it might be
558 displayed when the program starts up. This copyright notice should
559 mention the year of completion of the most recent major version; it
560 can mention years of completion of previous major versions, but that
564 @node License Notices
565 @section License Notices
566 @cindex license notices in program files
568 Every nontrivial file needs a license notice as well as the copyright
569 notice. (Without a license notice giving permission to copy and change
571 would make the file non-free.)
573 The package itself should contain a full copy of GPL (conventionally in
574 a file named @file{COPYING}) and the GNU Free Documentation License
575 (included within your documentation). If the package contains any files
576 distributed under the Lesser GPL, it should contain a full copy of that
577 as well (conventionally in a file named @file{COPYING.LIB}).
579 You can get the official versions of these files from three places.
580 You can use whichever is the most convenient for you.
584 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/licenses/}.
587 The directory @file{/gd/gnuorg} on the host
588 @code{fencepost.gnu.org}. (You can ask @email{accounts@@gnu.org}
589 for an account there if you don't have one).
592 The @code{gnulib} project on @code{savannah.gnu.org}, which you
593 can access via anonymous CVS. See
594 @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gnulib}.
598 The official Texinfo sources for the licenses are also available in
599 those same places, so you can include them in your documentation. A
600 GFDL-covered manual must include the GFDL in this way. @xref{GNU Sample
601 Texts,,,texinfo,Texinfo}, for a full example in a Texinfo manual.
603 Typically the license notice for program files (including build scripts,
604 configure files and makefiles) should cite the GPL, like this:
607 This file is part of GNU @var{program}
609 GNU @var{program} is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
610 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
611 the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
614 GNU @var{program} is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
615 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
616 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
617 GNU General Public License for more details.
619 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
620 along with @var{program}; see the file COPYING. If not, write to
621 the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor,
622 Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
625 But in a small program which is just a few files, you can use
629 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
630 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
631 the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
632 (at your option) any later version.
634 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
635 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
636 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
637 GNU General Public License for more details.
639 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
640 with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
641 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
644 Documentation files should have license notices also. Manuals should
645 use the GNU Free Documentation License. Here is an example of the
646 license notice to use after the copyright notice. Please adjust the
647 list of invariant sections as appropriate for your manual. (If there
648 are none, then say ``with no invariant sections''.) @xref{GNU Sample
649 Texts,,,texinfo,Texinfo}, for a full example in a Texinfo manual.
652 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
653 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
654 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
655 Invariant Sections being "GNU General Public License", with the
656 Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts
657 as in (a) below. A copy of the license is included in the section
658 entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
660 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You are free to copy and modify
661 this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in
662 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
666 If the FSF does not publish this manual on paper, then omit the last
667 sentence in (a) that talks about copies from GNU Press. If the FSF is
668 not the copyright holder, then replace @samp{FSF} with the appropriate
671 See @url{http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-howto.html} for more advice
672 about how to use the GNU FDL.
674 If the manual is over 400 pages, or if the FSF thinks it might be a good
675 choice for publishing on paper, then please include our standard
676 invariant section which explains the importance of free documentation.
677 Write to @email{assign@@gnu.org} to get a copy of this section.
679 Note that when you distribute several manuals together in one software
680 package, their on-line forms can share a single copy of the GFDL (see
681 section 6). However, the printed (@samp{.dvi}) forms should each
682 contain a copy of the GFDL, unless they are set up to be printed
683 and published only together. Therefore, it is usually simplest to
684 include the GFDL in each manual.
686 Small supporting files, short manuals (under 300 lines long) and rough
687 documentation (README files, INSTALL files, etc) can use a simple
688 all-permissive license like this one:
691 Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
692 are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
693 notice and this notice are preserved.
696 If your package distributes Autoconf macros that are intended to be
697 used (hence distributed) by third-party packages under possibly
698 incompatible licenses, you may also use the above all-permissive
699 license for these macros.
701 If you would like help with license issues or with using the GFDL,
702 please contact @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
704 @node External Libraries
705 @section External Libraries
707 When maintaining an FSF-copyrighted GNU package, you may occasionally
708 want to use a general-purpose free software module which offers a
709 useful functionality, as a ``library'' facility (though the module is
710 not always packaged technically as a library).
712 In a case like this, it would be unreasonable to ask the author of that
713 module to assign the copyright to the FSF. After all, person did not
714 write it specifically as a contribution to your package, so it would be
715 impertinent to ask per, out of the blue, ``Please give the FSF your
718 So the thing to do in this case is to make your program use the module,
719 but not consider it a part of your program. There are two reasonable
720 methods of doing this:
724 Assume the module is already installed on the system, and use it when
725 linking your program. This is only reasonable if the module really has
726 the form of a library.
729 Include the module in your package, putting the source in a separate
730 subdirectory whose @file{README} file says, ``This is not part of the
731 GNU FOO program, but is used with GNU FOO.'' Then set up your makefiles
732 to build this module and link it into the executable.
734 For this method, it is not necessary to treat the module as a library
735 and make a @samp{.a} file from it. You can link with the @samp{.o}
736 files directly in the usual manner.
739 Both of these methods create an irregularity, and our lawyers have told
740 us to minimize the amount of such irregularity. So consider using these
741 methods only for general-purpose modules that were written for other
742 programs and released separately for general use. For anything that was
743 written as a contribution to your package, please get papers signed.
746 @chapter Cleaning Up Changes
747 @cindex contributions, accepting
748 @cindex quality of changes suggested by others
750 Don't feel obligated to include every change that someone asks you to
751 include. You must judge which changes are improvements---partly based
752 on what you think the users will like, and partly based on your own
753 judgment of what is better. If you think a change is not good, you
756 If someone sends you changes which are useful, but written in an ugly
757 way or hard to understand and maintain in the future, don't hesitate to
758 ask per to clean up their changes before you merge them. Since the
759 amount of work we can do is limited, the more we convince others to help
760 us work efficiently, the faster GNU will advance.
762 If the contributor will not or can not make the changes clean enough,
763 then it is legitimate to say ``I can't install this in its present form;
764 I can only do so if you clean it up.'' Invite per to distribute per
765 changes another way, or to find other people to make them clean enough
766 for you to install and maintain.
768 The only reason to do these cleanups yourself is if (1) it is easy, less
769 work than telling the author what to clean up, or (2) the change is an
770 important one, important enough to be worth the work of cleaning it up.
772 The GNU Coding Standards are a good thing to send people when you ask
773 them to clean up changes (@pxref{Top, , Contents, standards, GNU Coding
774 Standards}). The Emacs Lisp manual contains an appendix that gives
775 coding standards for Emacs Lisp programs; it is good to urge authors to
776 read it (@pxref{Tips, , Tips and Standards, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
780 @chapter Platforms to Support
782 Most GNU packages run on a wide range of platforms. These platforms are
783 not equally important.
785 The most important platforms for a GNU package to support are GNU and
786 GNU/Linux. Developing the GNU operating system is the whole point of
787 the GNU Project; a GNU package exists to make the whole GNU system more
788 powerful. So please keep that goal in mind and let it shape your work.
789 For instance, every new feature you add should work on GNU, and
790 GNU/Linux if possible too. If a new feature only runs on GNU and
791 GNU/Linux, it could still be acceptable. However, a feature that runs
792 only on other systems and not on GNU or GNU/Linux makes no sense in a
795 You will naturally want to keep the program running on all the platforms
796 it supports. But you personally will not have access to most of these
797 platforms--so how should you do it?
799 Don't worry about trying to get access to all of these platforms. Even
800 if you did have access to all the platforms, it would be inefficient for
801 you to test the program on each platform yourself. Instead, you should
802 test the program on a few platforms, including GNU or GNU/Linux, and let
803 the users test it on the other platforms. You can do this through a
804 pretest phase before the real release; when there is no reason to expect
805 problems, in a package that is mostly portable, you can just make a
806 release and let the users tell you if anything unportable was
809 It is important to test the program personally on GNU or GNU/Linux,
810 because these are the most important platforms for a GNU package. If
811 you don't have access to one of these platforms, please ask
812 @email{maintainers@@gnu.org} to help you out.
814 Supporting other platforms is optional---we do it when that seems like
815 a good idea, but we don't consider it obligatory. If the users don't
816 take care of a certain platform, you may have to desupport it unless
817 and until users come forward to help. Conversely, if a user offers
818 changes to support an additional platform, you will probably want to
819 install them, but you don't have to. If you feel the changes are
820 complex and ugly, if you think that they will increase the burden of
821 future maintenance, you can and should reject them. This includes
822 both free or mainly-free platforms such as OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and
823 NetBSD, and non-free platforms such as Windows.
827 @chapter Dealing With Mail
830 @cindex email, for receiving bug reports
831 @cindex mailing list for bug reports
832 Once a program is in use, you will get bug reports for it. Most GNU
833 programs have their own special lists for sending bug reports. The
834 advertised bug-reporting email address should always be
835 @samp{bug-@var{program}@@gnu.org}, to help show users that the program
836 is a GNU package, but it is ok to set up that list to forward to another
837 site for further forwarding. The package distribution should state the
838 name of the bug-reporting list in a prominent place, and ask users to
839 help us by reporting bugs there.
841 We also have a catch-all list, @email{bug-gnu-utils@@gnu.org}, which is
842 used for all GNU programs that don't have their own specific lists. But
843 nowadays we want to give each program its own bug-reporting list and
844 move away from using @email{bug-gnu-utils}.
846 If you are the maintainer of a GNU package, you should have an account
847 on the GNU servers; contact @email{accounts@@gnu.org} if you don't have
848 one. (You can also ask for accounts for people who help you a large
849 amount in working on the package.) With this account, you can edit
850 @file{/com/mailer/aliases} to create a new unmanaged list or add
851 yourself to an existing unmanaged list. A comment near the beginning of
852 that file explains how to create a Mailman-managed mailing list.
854 But if you don't want to learn how to do those things, you can
855 alternatively ask @email{alias-file@@gnu.org} to add you to the
856 bug-reporting list for your program. To set up a new list, contact
857 @email{new-mailing-list@@gnu.org}. You can subscribe to a list managed
858 by Mailman by sending mail to the corresponding @samp{-request} address.
860 You should moderate postings from non-subscribed addresses on your
861 mailing lists, to prevent propagation of unwanted messages (``spam'')
862 to subscribers and to the list archives. For lists controlled by
863 Mailman, you can do this by setting @code{Privacy Options - Sender
864 Filter - generic_nonmember_action} to @code{Hold}, and then
865 periodically (daily is best) reviewing the held messages, accepting
866 the real ones and discarding the junk.
868 @cindex responding to bug reports
869 When you receive bug reports, keep in mind that bug reports are crucial
870 for your work. If you don't know about problems, you cannot fix them.
871 So always thank each person who sends a bug report.
873 You don't have an obligation to give more response than that, though.
874 The main purpose of bug reports is to help you contribute to the
875 community by improving the next version of the program. Many of the
876 people who report bugs don't realize this---they think that the point is
877 for you to help them individually. Some will ask you to focus on that
878 @emph{instead of} on making the program better. If you comply with
879 their wishes, you will have been distracted from the job of maintaining
882 For example, people sometimes report a bug in a vague (and therefore
883 useless) way, and when you ask for more information, they say, ``I just
884 wanted to see if you already knew the solution'' (in which case the bug
885 report would do nothing to help improve the program). When this
886 happens, you should explain to them the real purpose of bug reports. (A
887 canned explanation will make this more efficient.)
889 When people ask you to put your time into helping them use the program,
890 it may seem ``helpful'' to do what they ask. But it is much @emph{less}
891 helpful than improving the program, which is the maintainer's real job.
893 By all means help individual users when you feel like it, if you feel
894 you have the time available. But be careful to limit the amount of time
895 you spend doing this---don't let it eat away the time you need to
896 maintain the program! Know how to say no; when you are pressed for
897 time, just ``thanks for the bug report---I will fix it'' is enough
900 Some GNU packages, such as Emacs and GCC, come with advice about how to
901 make bug reports useful. If you want to copy and adapt that, it could
902 be a very useful thing to do.
905 @chapter Recording Old Versions
906 @cindex version control
908 It is very important to keep backup files of all source files of GNU.
909 You can do this using RCS, CVS or PRCS if you like. The easiest way to
910 use RCS or CVS is via the Version Control library in Emacs;
911 @ref{VC Concepts,, Concepts of Version Control, emacs, The GNU Emacs
914 The history of previous revisions and log entries is very important for
915 future maintainers of the package, so even if you do not make it
916 publicly accessible, be careful not to put anything in the repository or
917 change log that you would not want to hand over to another maintainer
920 The GNU Project provides a CVS server that GNU software packages can
921 use: @code{subversions.gnu.org}. (The name refers to the multiple
922 versions and their subversions that are stored in a CVS repository.)
923 You don't have to use this repository, but if you plan to allow public
924 read-only access to your development sources, it is convenient for
925 people to be able to find various GNU packages in a central place. The
926 CVS Server is managed by @email{cvs-hackers@@gnu.org}.
928 The GNU project also provides additional developer resources on
929 @code{subversions.gnu.org} through its @code{savannah.gnu.org}
930 interface. All GNU maintainers are encouraged to take advantage of
931 these facilities, as @code{savannah} can serve to foster a sense of
932 community among all GNU developers and help in keeping up with project
936 @chapter Distributions
938 It is important to follow the GNU conventions when making GNU software
942 * Distribution tar Files::
943 * Distribution Patches::
944 * Distribution on ftp.gnu.org::
946 * Automated FTP Uploads::
950 @node Distribution tar Files
951 @section Distribution tar Files
952 @cindex distribution, tar files
954 The tar file for version @var{m}.@var{n} of program @code{foo} should be
955 named @file{foo-@var{m}.@var{n}.tar}. It should unpack into a
956 subdirectory named @file{foo-@var{m}.@var{n}}. Tar files should not
957 unpack into files in the current directory, because this is inconvenient
958 if the user happens to unpack into a directory with other files in it.
960 Here is how the @file{Makefile} for Bison creates the tar file.
961 This method is good for other programs.
965 echo bison-`sed -e '/version_string/!d' \
966 -e 's/[^0-9.]*\([0-9.]*\).*/\1/' -e q version.c` > .fname
969 dst=`cat .fname`; for f in $(DISTFILES); do \
970 ln $(srcdir)/$$f $$dst/$$f || @{ echo copying $$f; \
971 cp -p $(srcdir)/$$f $$dst/$$f ; @} \
973 tar --gzip -chf `cat .fname`.tar.gz `cat .fname`
974 -rm -rf `cat .fname` .fname
977 Source files that are symbolic links to other file systems cannot be
978 installed in the temporary directory using @code{ln}, so use @code{cp}
982 Using Automake is a good way to take care of writing the @code{dist}
985 @node Distribution Patches
986 @section Distribution Patches
987 @cindex patches, against previous releases
989 If the program is large, it is useful to make a set of diffs for each
990 release, against the previous important release.
992 At the front of the set of diffs, put a short explanation of which
993 version this is for and which previous version it is relative to.
994 Also explain what else people need to do to update the sources
995 properly (for example, delete or rename certain files before
996 installing the diffs).
998 The purpose of having diffs is that they are small. To keep them
999 small, exclude files that the user can easily update. For example,
1000 exclude info files, DVI files, tags tables, output files of Bison or
1001 Flex. In Emacs diffs, we exclude compiled Lisp files, leaving it up
1002 to the installer to recompile the patched sources.
1004 When you make the diffs, each version should be in a directory suitably
1005 named---for example, @file{gcc-2.3.2} and @file{gcc-2.3.3}. This way,
1006 it will be very clear from the diffs themselves which version is which.
1010 @cindex time stamp in diffs
1011 If you use GNU @code{diff} to make the patch, use the options
1012 @samp{-rc2P}. That will put any new files into the output as ``entirely
1013 different.'' Also, the patch's context diff headers should have dates
1014 and times in Universal Time using traditional Unix format, so that patch
1015 recipients can use GNU @code{patch}'s @samp{-Z} option. For example,
1016 you could use the following Bourne shell command to create the patch:
1019 LC_ALL=C TZ=UTC0 diff -rc2P gcc-2.3.2 gcc-2.3.3 | \
1020 gzip -9 >gcc-2.3.2-2.3.3.patch.gz
1023 If the distribution has subdirectories in it, then the diffs probably
1024 include some files in the subdirectories. To help users install such
1025 patches reliably, give them precise directions for how to run patch.
1026 For example, say this:
1029 To apply these patches, cd to the main directory of the program
1030 and then use `patch -p1'. `-p1' avoids guesswork in choosing
1031 which subdirectory to find each file in.
1034 It's wise to test your patch by applying it to a copy of the old
1035 version, and checking that the result exactly matches the new version.
1037 @node Distribution on ftp.gnu.org
1038 @section Distribution on @code{ftp.gnu.org}
1039 @cindex GNU ftp site
1040 @cindex @code{ftp.gnu.org}, the GNU ftp site
1042 GNU packages are distributed through directory @file{/gnu} on
1043 @code{ftp.gnu.org}. Each package should have a subdirectory
1044 named after the package, and all the distribution files for the package
1045 should go in that subdirectory.
1047 @c If you have an interest in seeing the monthly download logs from the FTP
1048 @c site at @code{ftp.gnu.org} for your program, that is something that
1049 @c @email{ftp-upload@@gnu.org} can set up for you. Please contact them if
1050 @c you are interested.
1052 @xref{Automated FTP Uploads}, for procedural details of putting new
1053 versions on @code{ftp.gnu.org}.
1056 @section Test Releases
1057 @cindex test releases
1058 @cindex beta releases
1059 @cindex pretest releases
1061 @cindex @code{alpha.gnu.org}, ftp site for test releases
1062 When you release a greatly changed new major version of a program, you
1063 might want to do so as a pretest. This means that you make a tar file,
1064 but send it only to a group of volunteers that you have recruited. (Use
1065 a suitable GNU mailing list/newsgroup to recruit them.)
1067 We normally use the FTP server @code{alpha.gnu.org} for pretests and
1068 prerelease versions. @xref{Automated FTP Uploads}, for procedural details
1069 of putting new versions on @code{alpha.gnu.org}.
1071 Once a program gets to be widely used and people expect it to work
1072 solidly, it is a good idea to do pretest releases before each ``real''
1075 There are two ways of handling version numbers for pretest versions.
1076 One method is to treat them as versions preceding the release you are going
1079 In this method, if you are about to release version 4.6 but you want
1080 to do a pretest first, call it 4.5.90. If you need a second pretest,
1081 call it 4.5.91, and so on. If you are really unlucky and ten pretests
1082 are not enough, after 4.5.99 you could advance to 4.5.990 and so on.
1083 (You could also use 4.5.100, but 990 has the advantage of sorting in
1086 The other method is to attach a date to the release number that is
1087 coming. For a pretest for version 4.6, made on Dec 10, 2002, this
1088 would be 4.6.20021210. A second pretest made the same day could be
1091 For development snapshots that are not formal pretests, using just
1092 the date without the version numbers is ok too.
1094 One thing that you should never do is to release a pretest with the same
1095 version number as the planned real release. Many people will look only
1096 at the version number (in the tar file name, in the directory name that
1097 it unpacks into, or wherever they can find it) to determine whether a
1098 tar file is the latest version. People might look at the test release
1099 in this way and mistake it for the real release. Therefore, always
1100 change the number when you release changed code.
1103 @node Automated FTP Uploads
1104 @section Automated FTP Uploads
1106 @cindex ftp uploads, automated
1107 In order to upload new releases to @code{ftp.gnu.org} or
1108 @code{alpha.gnu.org}, you first need to register the necessary
1109 information. Then, you can perform uploads yourself, with no
1110 intervention needed by the system administrators.
1113 * Automated Upload Registration::
1114 * Automated Upload Procedure::
1115 * FTP Upload Directive File - v1.1::
1116 * FTP Upload Directive File - v1.0::
1120 @node Automated Upload Registration
1121 @subsection Automated Upload Registration
1123 @cindex registration
1124 @cindex uploads, registration for
1126 To register your information to perform automated uploads, send a
1127 message, preferably GPG-signed, to @email{ftp-upload@@gnu.org} with
1132 Name of package(s) that you are the maintainer for, and your
1133 preferred email address.
1136 An ASCII armored copy of your GnuPG key, as an attachment.
1137 (@samp{gpg --export -a YOUR_KEY_ID >mykey.asc} should give you this.)
1140 A list of names and preferred email addresses of other individuals you
1141 authorize to make releases for which packages, if any (in the case that you
1142 don't make all releases yourself).
1145 ASCII armored copies of GnuPG keys for any individuals listed in (3).
1148 The administrators will acknowledge your message when they have added
1149 the proper GPG keys as authorized to upload files for the
1150 corresponding packages.
1153 @node Automated Upload Procedure
1154 @subsection Automated Upload Procedure
1158 Once you have registered your information as described in the
1159 previous section, you will be able to do unattended ftp uploads using
1160 the following procedure.
1162 For each upload destined for @code{ftp.gnu.org} or
1163 @code{alpha.gnu.org}, three files (a @dfn{triplet}) need to be
1164 uploaded via ftp to the host @code{ftp-upload.gnu.org}.
1168 The file to be distributed (for example, @file{foo.tar.gz}).
1171 Detached GPG binary signature for (1), made using @samp{gpg -b}
1172 (for example, @file{foo.tar.gz.sig}).
1175 A clearsigned @dfn{directive file}, made using @samp{gpg --clearsign}
1176 (for example, @file{foo.tar.gz.directive.asc}).
1179 The names of the files are important. The signature file must have the
1180 same name as the file to be distributed, with an additional
1181 @file{.sig} extension. The directive file must have the same name as
1182 the file to be distributed, with an additional @file{.directive.asc}
1183 extension. If you do not follow this naming convention, the upload
1184 @emph{will not be processed}.
1186 Since v1.1 of the upload script, it is also possible to upload a
1187 @dfn{directive file} on its own to perform certain operations on
1188 uploaded files. @xref{FTP Upload Directive File - v1.1}, for more
1191 Upload the file(s) via anonymous ftp to @code{ftp-upload.gnu.org}. If
1192 the upload is destined for @code{ftp.gnu.org}, place the file(s) in
1193 the @file{/incoming/ftp} directory. If the upload is destined for
1194 @code{alpha.gnu.org}, place the file(s) in the @file{/incoming/alpha}
1197 Uploads are processed every five minutes. Uploads that are in progress while
1198 the upload processing script is running are handled properly, so do not worry
1199 about the timing of your upload.
1201 Your designated upload email addresses (@pxref{Automated Upload Registration})
1202 are sent a message if there are any problems processing an upload for your
1203 package. You also receive a message when your upload has been successfully
1206 If you have difficulties processing an upload, email
1207 @email{ftp-upload@@gnu.org}.
1210 @node FTP Upload Directive File - v1.1
1211 @subsection FTP Upload Directive File - v1.1
1213 The directive file name must end in @file{directive.asc}.
1215 When part of a triplet, the directive file must always contain the
1216 directives @code{version}, @code{directory} and @code{filename}, as
1217 described. In addition, a 'comment' directive is allowed.
1219 The @code{version} directive must always have the value @samp{1.1}.
1221 The @code{directory} directive specifies the final destination
1222 directory where the uploaded file and its @file{.sig} companion are to
1225 The @code{filename} directive must contain the name of the file to be
1226 distributed (item@tie{}(1) above).
1228 For example, as part of an uploaded triplet, a
1229 @file{foo.tar.gz.directive.asc} file might contain these lines (before
1230 being gpg clearsigned):
1235 filename: foo.tar.gz
1236 comment: hello world!
1239 This directory line indicates that @file{foo.tar.gz} and
1240 @file{foo.tar.gz.sig} are part of package @code{bar}. If you uploaded
1241 this triplet to @file{/incoming/ftp} and the system positively
1242 authenticates the signatures, the files @file{foo.tar.gz} and
1243 @file{foo.tar.gz.sig} will be placed in the directory
1244 @file{gnu/bar/v1} of the @code{ftp.gnu.org} site.
1246 The directive file can be used to create currently non-existent
1247 directory trees, as long as they are under the package directory for
1248 your package (in the example above, that is @code{bar}).
1250 If you upload a file that already exists in the FTP directory, the
1251 original will simply be archived and replaced with the new upload.
1253 @subheading Standalone directives
1255 When uploaded by itself, the directive file must contain one or more
1256 of the directives @code{symlink}, @code{rmsymlink} or @code{archive},
1257 in addition to the obligatory @code{directory} and @code{version}
1258 directives. A @code{filename} directive is not allowed, and a
1259 @code{comment} directive is optional.
1261 If you use more than one directive, the directives are executed in the
1262 sequence they are specified in.
1264 Here are a few examples. The first removes a symlink:
1269 rmsymlink: foo-latest.tgz
1270 comment: remove a symlink
1274 Archive an old file, taking it offline:
1279 archive: foo-1.1.tar.gz
1280 comment: archive an old file - it will not be available through FTP anymore
1284 Create a new symlink:
1289 symlink: foo-1.2.tar.gz foo-latest.tgz
1290 comment: create a new symlink
1294 Do everything at once:
1299 rmsymlink: foo-latest.tgz
1300 symlink: foo-1.2.tar.gz foo-latest.tgz
1301 archive: foo-1.1.tar.gz
1302 comment: now do everything at once
1306 @node FTP Upload Directive File - v1.0
1307 @subsection FTP Upload Directive File - v1.0
1309 @dfn{As of June 2006, the upload script is running in compatibility
1310 mode, allowing uploads with either version@tie{}1.1 or
1311 version@tie{}1.0 of the directive file syntax. Support for v1.0
1312 uploads will be phased out by the end of 2006, so please upgrade
1315 The directive file should contain one line, excluding the clearsigned
1316 data GPG that inserts, which specifies the final destination directory
1317 where items (1) and (2) are to be placed.
1319 For example, the @file{foo.tar.gz.directive.asc} file might contain the
1326 This directory line indicates that @file{foo.tar.gz} and
1327 @file{foo.tar.gz.sig} are part of package @code{bar}. If you were to
1328 upload the triplet to @file{/incoming/ftp}, and the system can
1329 positively authenticate the signatures, then the files
1330 @file{foo.tar.gz} and @file{foo.tar.gz.sig} will be placed in the
1331 directory @file{gnu/bar/v1} of the @code{ftp.gnu.org} site.
1333 The directive file can be used to create currently non-existent
1334 directory trees, as long as they are under the package directory for
1335 your package (in the example above, that is @code{bar}).
1339 @section Announcing Releases
1341 When you have a new release, please make an announcement. You can
1342 maintain your own mailing list for announcements if you like, or you can
1343 use the moderated general GNU announcements list,
1344 @email{info-gnu@@gnu.org}.
1346 If you use your own list, you can decide as you see fit what events are
1347 worth announcing. If you use @email{info-gnu@@gnu.org}, please do not
1348 announce pretest releases, only real releases. But real releases do
1349 include releases made just to fix bugs.
1355 Please write pages about your package for installation on
1356 @code{www.gnu.org}. The pages should follow our usual standards for web
1357 pages (see @url{http://www.gnu.org/server}); we chose them in order to
1358 support a wide variety of browsers, to focus on information rather than
1359 flashy eye candy, and to keep the site simple and uniform.
1361 The simplest way to maintain the web pages for your project is to
1362 register the project on @code{savannah.gnu.org}. Then you can edit
1363 the pages using CVS. You can keep the source files there too, but if
1364 you want to use @code{savannah.gnu.org} only for the web pages, simply
1365 register a ``web-only'' project.
1367 If you don't want to use that method, please talk with
1368 @email{webmasters@@gnu.org} about other possible methods. For
1369 instance, you can mail them pages to install, if necessary. But that
1370 is more work for them, so please use CVS if you can.
1372 Some GNU packages have just simple web pages, but the more information
1373 you provide, the better. So please write as much as you usefully can,
1374 and put all of it on @code{www.gnu.org}. However, pages that access
1375 databases (including mail logs and bug tracking) are an exception; set
1376 them up on whatever site is convenient for you, and make the pages on
1377 @code{www.gnu.org} link to that site.
1379 Historically, web pages for GNU packages did not include GIF images,
1380 because of patent problems (@pxref{Ethical and Philosophical
1381 Consideration}). Although the GIF patents expired in 2006, using GIF
1382 images is still not recommended, as the PNG and JPEG formats are
1383 generally superior. See @url{http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gif.html}.
1385 The web pages for the package should include its manuals, in HTML,
1386 DVI, Info, PostScript, PDF, plain ASCII, and Texinfo format (source).
1387 (All of these can be generated automatically from the Texinfo source
1388 using Makeinfo and other programs.) When there is only one manual,
1389 put it in a subdirectory called @file{manual}; the file
1390 @file{manual/index.html} should have a link to the manual in each of
1393 If the package has more than one manual, put each one in a
1394 subdirectory of @file{manual}, set up @file{index.html} in each
1395 subdirectory to link to that manual in all its forms, and make
1396 @file{manual/index.html} link to each manual through its subdirectory.
1398 See the section below for details on a script to make the job of
1399 creating all these different formats and index pages easier.
1401 We would like to include links to all these manuals in the page
1402 @url{http://www.gnu.org/manual}. Just send mail to
1403 @code{webmasters@@gnu.org} telling them the name of your package and
1404 asking them to edit @url{http://www.gnu.org/manual}, and they will do
1405 so based on the contents of your @file{manual} directory.
1408 * Invoking gendocs.sh::
1409 * CVS Keywords in Web Pages::
1412 @node Invoking gendocs.sh
1413 @section Invoking @command{gendocs.sh}
1415 @cindex generating documentation output
1417 The script @command{gendocs.sh} eases the task of generating the
1418 Texinfo documentation output for your web pages
1419 section above. It has a companion template file, used as the basis
1420 for the HTML index pages. Both are available from the Texinfo CVS
1423 @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/texinfo/texinfo/util/gendocs.sh}
1424 @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/texinfo/texinfo/util/gendocs_template}
1427 Invoke the script like this, in the directory containing the Texinfo
1430 gendocs.sh @var{yourmanual} "GNU @var{yourmanual} manual"
1433 @noindent where @var{yourmanual} is the short name for your package.
1434 The script processes the file @file{@var{yourmanual}.texinfo} (or
1435 @file{.texi} or @file{.txi}). For example:
1439 # download gendocs.sh and gendocs_template
1440 gendocs.sh emacs "GNU Emacs manual"
1443 @command{gendocs.sh} creates a subdirectory @file{manual/} containing
1444 the manual generated in all the standard output formats: Info, HTML,
1445 DVI, and so on, as well as the Texinfo source. You then need to move
1446 all those files, retaining the subdirectories, into the web pages for
1449 You can specify the option @option{-o @var{outdir}} to override the
1450 name @file{manual}. Any previous contents of @var{outdir} will be deleted.
1452 The second argument, with the description, is included as part of the
1453 HTML @code{<title>} of the overall @file{manual/index.html} file. It
1454 should include the name of the package being documented, as shown.
1455 @file{manual/index.html} is created by substitution from the file
1456 @file{gendocs_template}. (Feel free to modify the generic template
1457 for your own purposes.)
1459 If you have several manuals, you'll need to run this script several
1460 times with different arguments, specifying a different output
1461 directory with @option{-o} each time, and moving all the output to
1462 your web page. Then write (by hand) an overall index.html with links
1463 to them all. For example:
1466 gendocs.sh -o texinfo texinfo "GNU Texinfo manual"
1467 gendocs.sh -o info info "GNU Info manual"
1468 gendocs.sh -o info-stnd info-stnd "GNU info-stnd manual"
1471 You can set the environment variables @env{MAKEINFO}, @env{TEXI2DVI},
1472 and @env{DVIPS} to control the programs that get executed, and
1473 @env{GENDOCS_TEMPLATE_DIR} to control where the
1474 @file{gendocs_template} file is found.
1476 Please email bug reports, enhancement requests, or other
1477 correspondence to @email{bug-texinfo@@gnu.org}.
1480 @node CVS Keywords in Web Pages
1481 @section CVS Keywords in Web Pages
1482 @cindex cvs keywords in web pages
1483 @cindex rcs keywords in web pages
1484 @cindex $ keywords in web pages
1485 @cindex web pages, and cvs keywords
1487 Since @code{www.gnu.org} works through CVS, CVS keywords in your
1488 manual, such as @code{@w{$}Log$}, need special treatment (even if you
1489 don't happen to maintain your manual in CVS).
1491 If these keywords end up in the generated output as literal strings,
1492 they will be expanded. The most robust way to handle this is to turn
1493 off keyword expansion for such generated files. For existing files,
1497 cvs admin -ko @var{file1} @var{file2} ...
1504 cvs add -ko @var{file1} @var{file2} ...
1507 @xref{Keyword substitution,,,cvs,Version Management with CVS}.
1509 In Texinfo source, the recommended way to literally specify a
1510 ``dollar'' keyword is:
1516 The @code{@@w} prevents keyword expansion in the Texinfo source
1517 itself. Also, @code{makeinfo} notices the @code{@@w} and generates
1518 output avoiding the literal keyword string.
1521 @node Ethical and Philosophical Consideration
1522 @chapter Ethical and Philosophical Consideration
1526 The GNU project takes a strong stand for software freedom. Many times,
1527 this means you'll need to avoid certain technologies when such
1528 technologies conflict with our ethics of software freedom.
1530 Software patents threaten the advancement of free software and freedom
1531 to program. For our safety (which includes yours), we try to avoid
1532 using algorithms and techniques that we know are patented in the US or
1533 elsewhere, unless the patent looks so absurd that we doubt it will be
1534 enforced, or we have a suitable patent license allowing release of free
1537 Beyond that, sometimes the GNU project takes a strong stand against a
1538 particular patented technology in order to encourage everyone to
1539 reject it. For example, until the GIF patents expired in 2006, we
1540 specified that GNU packages and web pages should not include GIF image
1541 files, and that equal or better support for other image formats such
1542 as PNG and JPEG was crucial. (These other formats remain superior, so
1543 there is still no particular reason to use GIF's.)
1545 Software patents are not the only matter for ethical concern. A GNU
1546 package should not recommend use of any non-free program, nor should it
1547 require a non-free program (such as a non-free compiler or IDE) to
1548 build. Thus, a GNU package cannot be written in a programming language
1549 that does not have a free software implementation. Now that GNU/Linux
1550 systems are widely available, all GNU packages should function
1551 completely with the GNU/Linux system and not require any non-free
1552 software to build or function.
1554 A GNU package should not refer the user to any non-free documentation
1555 for free software. The need for free documentation to come with free
1556 software is now a major focus of the GNU project; to show that we are
1557 serious about the need for free documentation, we must not contradict
1558 our position by recommending use of documentation that isn't free.
1560 Finally, new issues concerning the ethics of software freedom come up
1561 frequently. We ask that GNU maintainers, at least on matters that
1562 pertain specifically to their package, stand with the rest of the GNU
1563 project when such issues come up.
1566 @chapter Terminology Issues
1569 This chapter explains a couple of issues of terminology which are
1570 important for correcting two widespread and important misunderstandings
1574 * Free Software and Open Source::
1578 @node Free Software and Open Source
1579 @section Free Software and Open Source
1580 @cindex free software
1582 @cindex movements, Free Software and Open Source
1584 The terms ``free software'' and ``open source'' are the slogans of two
1585 different movements which differ in their basic philosophy. The Free
1586 Software Movement is idealistic, and raises issues of freedom, ethics,
1587 principle and what makes for a good society. The Open Source Movement,
1588 founded in 1998, studiously avoids such questions. For more explanation,
1589 see @url{http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html}.
1591 The GNU Project is aligned with the Free Software Movement. This
1592 doesn't mean that all GNU contributors and maintainers have to agree;
1593 your views on these issues are up to you, and you're entitled to express
1594 them when speaking for yourself.
1596 However, due to the much greater publicity that the Open Source
1597 Movement receives, the GNU Project needs to overcome a widespread
1598 mistaken impression that GNU is @emph{and always was} an activity of
1599 the Open Source Movement. For this reason, please use the term ``free
1600 software,'' not ``open source,'' in GNU software releases, GNU
1601 documentation, and announcements and articles that you publish in your
1602 role as the maintainer of a GNU package. A reference to the URL given
1603 above, to explain the difference, is a useful thing to include as
1607 @section GNU and Linux
1611 The GNU Project was formed to develop a free Unix-like operating system,
1612 GNU. The existence of this system is our major accomplishment.
1613 However, the widely used version of the GNU system, in which Linux is
1614 used as the kernel, is often called simply ``Linux''. As a result, most
1615 users don't know about the GNU Project's major accomplishment---or more
1616 precisely, they know about it, but don't realize it is the GNU Project's
1617 accomplishment and reason for existence. Even people who believe they
1618 know the real history often believe that the goal of GNU was to develop
1619 ``tools'' or ``utilities.''
1621 To correct this confusion, we have made a years-long effort to
1622 distinguish between Linux, the kernel that Linus Torvalds wrote, and
1623 GNU/Linux, the operating system that is the combination of GNU and
1624 Linux. The resulting increased awareness of what the GNU Project has
1625 already done helps every activity of the GNU Project recruit more
1626 support and contributors.
1628 Please make this distinction consistently in GNU software releases, GNU
1629 documentation, and announcements and articles that you publish in your
1630 role as the maintainer of a GNU package. If you want to explain the
1631 terminology and its reasons, you can refer to the URL
1632 @url{http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html}.
1634 Do contrast the GNU system properly speaking to GNU/Linux, you can
1635 call it ``GNU/Hurd'' or ``the GNU/Hurd system.'' However, when that
1636 contrast is not specifically the focus, please call it just ``GNU'' or
1639 When referring to the collection of servers that is the higher level
1640 of the GNU kernel, please call it ``the Hurd'' or ``the GNU Hurd.''
1641 Note that this uses a space, not a slash.
1645 @cindex CVS repository
1650 We would like to recommend using @code{subversions.gnu.org} as the CVS
1651 repository for your package, and using @code{ftp.gnu.org} as the
1652 standard FTP site. It is ok to use other machines if you wish. If you
1653 use a company's machine to hold the repository for your program, or as
1654 its ftp site, please put this statement in a prominent place on the
1655 site, so as to prevent people from getting the wrong idea about the
1656 relationship between the package and the company:
1659 The programs <list of them> hosted here are free software packages
1660 of the GNU Project, not products of <company name>. We call them
1661 "free software" because you are free to copy and redistribute them,
1662 following the rules stated in the license of each package. For more
1663 information, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.
1665 If you are looking for service or support for GNU software, see
1666 http://www.gnu.org/help/gethelp.html for suggestions of where to ask.
1668 If you would like to contribute to the development of one of these
1669 packages, contact the package maintainer or the bug-reporting address
1670 of the package (which should be listed in the package itself), or look
1671 on www.gnu.org for more information on how to contribute.
1674 @node Free Software Directory
1675 @chapter Free Software Directory
1676 @cindex Free Software Directory
1678 The Free Software Directory aims to be a complete list of free software
1679 packages, within certain criteria. Every GNU package should be listed
1680 there, so please contact @email{bug-directory@@gnu.org} to ask for
1681 information on how to write an entry for your package.
1683 @node Using the Proofreaders List
1684 @chapter Using the Proofreaders List
1685 @cindex proofreading
1687 If you want help finding errors in documentation,
1688 or help improving the quality of writing,
1689 or if you are not a native speaker of English
1690 and want help producing good English documentation,
1691 you can use the GNU proofreaders mailing list:
1692 @email{proofreaders@@gnu.org}.
1694 But be careful when you use the list,
1695 because there are over 200 people on it.
1696 If you simply ask everyone on the list to read your work,
1697 there will probably be tremendous duplication of effort
1698 by the proofreaders,
1699 and you will probably get the same errors reported 100 times.
1700 This must be avoided.
1702 Also, the people on the list do not want to get
1703 a large amount of mail from it.
1704 So do not ever ask people on the list to send mail to the list!
1706 Here are a few methods that seem reasonable to use:
1710 For something small, mail it to the list,
1711 and ask people to pick a random number from 1 to 20,
1712 and read it if the number comes out as 10.
1713 This way, assuming 50% response, some 5 people will read the piece.
1716 For a larger work, divide your work into around 20 equal-sized parts,
1717 tell people where to get it,
1718 and ask each person to pick randomly which part to read.
1720 Be sure to specify the random choice procedure;
1721 otherwise people will probably use a mental procedure
1722 that is not really random,
1723 such as "pick a part near the middle",
1724 and you will not get even coverage.
1726 You can either divide up the work physically, into 20 separate files,
1727 or describe a virtual division, such as by sections
1728 (if your work has approximately 20 sections).
1729 If you do the latter, be sure to be precise about it---for example,
1730 do you want the material before the first section heading
1731 to count as a section, or not?
1734 For a job needing special skills, send an explanation of it,
1735 and ask people to send you mail if they volunteer for the job.
1736 When you get enough volunteers, send another message to the list saying
1737 "I have enough volunteers, no more please."
1747 eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'time-stamp)
1748 time-stamp-start: "@set lastupdate "
1749 time-stamp-start: "@set lastupdate "
1751 time-stamp-format: "%:b %:d, %:y"
1752 compile-command: "make just-maintain"