Re: [RFC] clarify licensing terms for .git/hooks/*.sample files
- From
Kaartic Sivaraam <kaartic.sivaraam@gmail.com>
- Date
- Feb 12, 2022, 18:50 UTC
- Message-ID
- <cb3a4d55-9c84-5d7a-a9cc-767827520763@gmail.com>
- In-Reply-To
- <xmqqzgn3185p.fsf@gitster.g>
On 07/02/22 12:21 pm, Junio C Hamano wrote:
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> When a new repository is created by end-user, the template material > are copied from /usr/share/git-core/templates directory, including > sample hook scripts. > > As the source code of Git itself is licensed under GPL-2.0, by > default, these come under the same license. Some end-users may > worry that this might "contaminate" their project's licensing > status. > > Let's add some text to clarify _our_ intention. > > What is added is merely a draft for discussion. The commit > references and author idents point at the right commits and people > whose input matters in today's contents of each file and we'll have > to contact them and have them agree what license they want to have > the current contents of the file under. >
FWIW, this does sound like a good thing to do.
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> I am contemplating to relicense all my work under templates/hooks--* > under either MIT or BSD-3-Clause, but some sample hooks do not have > my input and the choice of course will be up to their authors. > > Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> > --- > > cf. https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqbl07mrp3.fsf@gitster.g/ > > templates/hooks--LICENSE | 256 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > 1 file changed, 256 insertions(+) > create mode 100644 templates/hooks--LICENSE > > diff --git a/templates/hooks--LICENSE b/templates/hooks--LICENSE > new file mode 100644 > index 0000000000..f6834f312b > --- /dev/null > +++ b/templates/hooks--LICENSE > @@ -0,0 +1,256 @@ > +The *.sample hook scripts installed in this repository have been > +copied from Git source code by "git init". Because Git itself as a > +whole is licensed under the GPL-2.0 license [*1*], some people have > +raised concerns if these scripts somehow contaminate the contents > +developed by the end users and stored in their repository. > + > +While we, Git developers, are not your lawyers, we believe the > +presence of these sample hook scripts in your repository does not > +constitute "distribution" that makes the contents tracked in your > +repository governed also under the same license as ours, but it would > +be a good idea to clarify that > + > + * We do not intend to spread the license of Git to your contents by > + copying the sample hook scripts. > + > + * These sample hook scripts may be under licenses other than GPL-2.0. > + > +The list below describes under which open-source license each sample > +hook script is licensed. > +
The above seems to read well to me.
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> +---- > + > +NEEDSWORK: > + > +Below are draft entries that do show correct commit object names that > +matter to, or contributors who write, the surviving contents of the > +file, but these people haven't been asked to do anything yet (hence > +they haven't responded yet, of course), so they do not show what the > +licensing status of these files will be at the end of this exercise > +yet. > + > +What I am hoping to achieve is to replace the text under each bullet > +point to document who the authors/copyright holders are of the file, > +and under what license the copy given to each end-user repository is > +usable by the end-user. It would be more useful if the license chosen > +(which can be different per file) is more lenient than strict. > + > +----
> [ ... snip ...]
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> + > +* prepare-commit-msg.sample > + > + Kaartic Sivaraam <kaartic.sivaraam@gmail.com> > + b22a3079466b72e8a8b76065d6c28efe7eea4b16 (clean-up) > +
For my part, I would be fine if we license contents of prepare-commit-msg.sample under the MIT license.
-- Sivaraam