@c For double-sided printing, uncomment:
@c @setchapternewpage odd
@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
-@set lastupdate July 9, 2006
+@set lastupdate December 5, 2006
@c %**end of header
@dircategory GNU organization
@menu
* Copyright Papers::
* Legally Significant::
-* Recording Contributors::
-* Copyright Notices::
-* License Notices::
-* External Libraries::
+* Recording Contributors::
+* Copying from Other Packages::
+* Copyright Notices::
+* License Notices::
+* External Libraries::
@end menu
@node Copyright Papers
Only the contributions that are legally significant for copyright
purposes (@pxref{Legally Significant}) need to be listed. Small
-contributions, ideas, etc., can be omitted.
+contributions, bug reports, ideas, etc., can be omitted.
For example, this would describe an early version of GAS:
Please keep these records in a file named @file{AUTHORS} in the source
directory for the program itself.
+You can use the change log as the basis for these records, if you
+wish. Just make sure to record the correct author for each change
+(the person who wrote the change, @emph{not} the person who installed
+it), and add @samp{(tiny change)} for those changes that are too
+trivial to matter for copyright purposes. Later on you can update the
+@file{AUTHORS} file from the change log. This can even be done
+automatically, if you are careful about the formatting of the change
+log entries.
+
+@node Copying from Other Packages
+@section Copying from Other Packages
+
+When you copy legally significant code from another free software
+package with a GPL-compatible license, you should look in the
+package's records to find out the authors of the part you are copying,
+and list them as the contributors of the code that you copied. If all
+you did was copy it, not write it, then for copyright purposes you are
+@emph{not} one of the contributors of @emph{this} code.
+
+If you are maintaining an FSF-copyrighted package, please verify we
+have papers for the code you are copying, @emph{before} copying it.
+If you are copying from another FSF-copyrighted package, then we
+presumably have papers for that package's own code, but you must check
+whether the code you are copying is part of an external library; if
+that is the case, we don't have papers for it, so you should not copy
+it. It can't hurt in any case to double-check with the developer of
+that package.
+
+When you are copying code for which we do not already have papers, you
+need to get papers for it. It may be difficult to get the papers if
+the code was not written as a contribution to your package, but that
+doesn't mean it is ok to do without them. If you cannot get papers
+for the code, you can only use it as an external library
+(@pxref{External Libraries}).
@node Copyright Notices
@section Copyright Notices
you don't have access to one of these platforms, please ask
@email{maintainers@@gnu.org} to help you out.
-Supporting other platforms is optional---we do it when that seems like a
-good idea, but we don't consider it obligatory. If the users don't take
-care of a certain platform, you may have to desupport it unless and
-until users come forward to help. Conversely, if a user offers changes
-to support an additional platform, you will probably want to install
-them, but you don't have to. If you feel the changes are complex and
-ugly, if you think that they will increase the burden of future
-maintenance, you can and should reject them. This includes both free
-platforms such as NetBSD or FreeBSD and non-free platforms such as
-Windows.
+Supporting other platforms is optional---we do it when that seems like
+a good idea, but we don't consider it obligatory. If the users don't
+take care of a certain platform, you may have to desupport it unless
+and until users come forward to help. Conversely, if a user offers
+changes to support an additional platform, you will probably want to
+install them, but you don't have to. If you feel the changes are
+complex and ugly, if you think that they will increase the burden of
+future maintenance, you can and should reject them. This includes
+both free or mainly-free platforms such as OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and
+NetBSD, and non-free platforms such as Windows.
+
@node Mail
@chapter Dealing With Mail
The names of the files are important. The signature file must have the
same name as the file to be distributed, with an additional
@file{.sig} extension. The directive file must have the same name as
-the file to be distributed, with an additional @file{.directive.asc
-extension}. If you do not follow this naming convention, the upload
+the file to be distributed, with an additional @file{.directive.asc}
+extension. If you do not follow this naming convention, the upload
@emph{will not be processed}.
Since v1.1 of the upload script, it is also possible to upload a
announce pretest releases, only real releases. But real releases do
include releases made just to fix bugs.
-@node Web Pages
+@node Web Pages
@chapter Web Pages
@cindex web pages
them up on whatever site is convenient for you, and make the pages on
@code{www.gnu.org} link to that site.
-Web pages for GNU packages should not include GIF images, since the GNU
-project avoids GIFs due to patent problems. @xref{Ethical and
-Philosophical Consideration}.
+Historically, web pages for GNU packages did not include GIF images,
+because of patent problems (@pxref{Ethical and Philosophical
+Consideration}). Although the GIF patents expired in 2006, using GIF
+images is still not recommended, as the PNG and JPEG formats are
+generally superior. See @url{http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gif.html}.
The web pages for the package should include its manuals, in HTML,
-DVI, Info, PostScript, PDF, plain ASCII, and Texinfo format (source). (All
-of these can be generated automatically from the Texinfo source using
-Makeinfo and other programs.) When there is only one manual, put it
-in a subdirectory called @file{manual}; the file
+DVI, Info, PostScript, PDF, plain ASCII, and Texinfo format (source).
+(All of these can be generated automatically from the Texinfo source
+using Makeinfo and other programs.) When there is only one manual,
+put it in a subdirectory called @file{manual}; the file
@file{manual/index.html} should have a link to the manual in each of
its forms.
* CVS Keywords in Web Pages::
@end menu
-@node Invoking gendocs.sh
-@section Invoking @command{gendocs.sh}
+@node Invoking gendocs.sh
+@section Invoking @command{gendocs.sh}
@pindex gendocs.sh
@cindex generating documentation output
output avoiding the literal keyword string.
-@node Ethical and Philosophical Consideration
+@node Ethical and Philosophical Consideration
@chapter Ethical and Philosophical Consideration
@cindex ethics
@cindex philosophy
of the GNU kernel, please call it ``the Hurd'' or ``the GNU Hurd.''
Note that this uses a space, not a slash.
-@node Hosting
+@node Hosting
@chapter Hosting
@cindex CVS repository
@cindex repository
projects / gnulib.git / blobdiff