@c For double-sided printing, uncomment:
@c @setchapternewpage odd
@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
-@set lastupdate December 6, 2005
+@set lastupdate March 22, 2006
@c %**end of header
@dircategory GNU organization
Information for maintainers of GNU software, last updated @value{lastupdate}.
Copyright (C) 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000,
-2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@quotation
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies
@end ifnottex
@menu
-* Preface::
-* Stepping Down::
-* Recruiting Developers::
-* Legal Matters::
-* Clean Ups::
-* Platforms::
-* Mail::
-* Old Versions::
-* Distributions::
-* Web Pages::
-* Ethical and Philosophical Consideration::
-* Terminology::
-* Hosting::
-* Free Software Directory::
-* Using the Proofreaders List::
-* Index::
+* Preface::
+* Stepping Down::
+* Recruiting Developers::
+* Legal Matters::
+* Clean Ups::
+* Platforms::
+* Mail::
+* Old Versions::
+* Distributions::
+* Web Pages::
+* Ethical and Philosophical Consideration::
+* Terminology::
+* Hosting::
+* Free Software Directory::
+* Using the Proofreaders List::
+* Index::
@end menu
@node Preface
as you maintain the program, to avoid legal difficulties.
@menu
-* Copyright Papers::
+* Copyright Papers::
* Legally Significant::
-* Recording Contributors::
-* Copyright Notices::
-* License Notices::
-* External Libraries::
+* Recording Contributors::
+* Copyright Notices::
+* License Notices::
+* External Libraries::
@end menu
@node Copyright Papers
@cindex @file{/gd/gnuorg} directory
@c This paragraph intentionally duplicates information given
@c near the beginning of the file--to make sure people don't miss it.
-The directory @file{/gd/gnuorg} is found on the GNU machines; if you are
-the maintainer of a GNU package, you should have an account on them.
-Contact @email{accounts@@gnu.org} if you don't have one. (You can also
-ask for accounts for people who help you a large amount in working on
-the package.)
+The directory @file{/gd/gnuorg} is found on the GNU machines,
+currently @code{fencepost.gnu.org}; if you are the maintainer of a GNU
+package, you should have an account on them. Contact
+@email{accounts@@gnu.org} if you don't have one. (You can also ask
+for accounts for people who help you a large amount in working on the
+package.)
In order for the contributor to know person should sign papers, you need
to ask for the necessary papers. If you don't know per well, and you
Once the conversation is under way and the contributor is ready for
more details, you should send one of the templates that are found in
-the directory @file{/gd/gnuorg/Copyright/}. This section explains
-which templates you should use in which circumstances. @strong{Please
-don't use any of the templates except for those listed here, and
-please don't change the wording.}
+the directory @file{/gd/gnuorg/Copyright/}; they are also available
+from the @file{doc/Copyright/} directory of the @code{gnulib} project
+at @url{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gnulib}. This section
+explains which templates you should use in which circumstances.
+@strong{Please don't use any of the templates except for those listed
+here, and please don't change the wording.}
Once the conversation is under way, you can send the contributor the
precise wording and instructions by email. Before you do this, make
For large changes, ask the contributor for an assignment. Send per a
copy of the file @file{request-assign.changes}. (Like all the
-@samp{request-} files, it is in @file{/gd/gnuorg/Copyright}.)
+@samp{request-} files, it is in @file{/gd/gnuorg/Copyright} and in
+@code{gnulib}.)
For medium to small changes, request a disclaimer by sending per the
file @file{request-disclaim.changes}.
@section Copyright Notices
@cindex copyright notices in program files
-You should maintain a proper copyright notice and a license notice in
-each nontrivial file in the package. (Any file more than ten lines
-long is nontrivial for this purpose.) This includes header files and
-interface definitions for building or running the program,
-documentation files, and any supporting files. If a file has been
-explicitly placed in the public domain, then instead of a copyright
-notice, it should have a notice saying explicitly that it is in the
-public domain.
+You should maintain a proper copyright notice and a license
+notice in each nontrivial file in the package. (Any file more than ten
+lines long is nontrivial for this purpose.) This includes header files
+and interface definitions for
+building or running the program, documentation files, and any supporting
+files. If a file has been explicitly placed in the public domain, then
+instead of a copyright notice, it should have a notice saying explicitly
+that it is in the public domain.
Even image files and sound files should contain copyright notices and
license notices, if they can. Some formats do not have room for textual
translations may use C-in-a-circle in locales where that symbol is
known to work.
-To update the list of year numbers, add each year in which you change
-the package. (Here we assume you're using a publicly accessible
-revision control server, so that every revision installed is also
-immediately and automatically published.)
+To update the list of year numbers, add each year in which you have
+made nontrivial changes to the package. (Here we assume you're using
+a publicly accessible revision control server, so that every revision
+installed is also immediately and automatically published.) When you
+add the new year, it is not required to keep track which files have
+seen significant changes in the new year and which have not. It is
+recommended and simpler to add the new year to all files in the
+package, and be done with it for the rest of the year.
+
+For files which are regularly copied from another project (such as
+@samp{gnulib}), the copyright notice should left as it is in the
+original.
Don't delete old year numbers, though; they can indicate when older
versions might theoretically go into the public domain. If you copy a
Do not abbreviate the year list using a range; for instance, do not
write @samp{1996--1998}; instead, write @samp{1996, 1997, 1998}.
+The copyright statement may be split across multiple lines, both in
+source files and in any generated output. This often happens for
+files with a long history, having many different years of
+publication.
+
For an FSF-copyrighted package, if you have followed the procedures to
obtain legal papers, each file should have just one copyright holder:
the Free Software Foundation, Inc. You should edit the file's
displayed when the program starts up. This copyright notice should
mention the year of completion of the most recent major version; it
can mention years of completion of previous major versions, but that
+is optional.
@node License Notices
@item
The directory @file{/gd/gnuorg} on the host
-@code{fencepost.gnu.org}. (You can ask @email{accounts@@gnu.org}
+@code{fencepost.gnu.org}. (You can ask @email{accounts@@gnu.org}
for an account there if you don't have one).
@item
@smallexample
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
-under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
+under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being "GNU General Public License", with the
Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts
@end smallexample
If the FSF does not publish this manual on paper, then omit the last
-sentence in (b) that talks about copies from GNU Press. If the FSF is
+sentence in (a) that talks about copies from GNU Press. If the FSF is
not the copyright holder, then replace @samp{FSF} with the appropriate
name.
distributions.
@menu
-* Distribution tar Files::
-* Distribution Patches::
-* Distribution on ftp.gnu.org::
-* Test Releases::
-* Automated FTP Uploads::
-* Announcements::
+* Distribution tar Files::
+* Distribution Patches::
+* Distribution on ftp.gnu.org::
+* Test Releases::
+* Automated FTP Uploads::
+* Announcements::
@end menu
@node Distribution tar Files
about GNU.
@menu
-* Free Software and Open Source::
-* GNU and Linux::
+* Free Software and Open Source::
+* GNU and Linux::
@end menu
@node Free Software and Open Source
projects / gnulib.git / blobdiff