[Cython] License information on each individual files

Julian Taylor jtaylor.debian at googlemail.com
Sat Jul 19 00:24:06 CEST 2014


On 19.07.2014 00:12, Nathaniel Smith wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 10:53 PM, Robert Bradshaw <robertwb at gmail.com
> <mailto:robertwb at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>     On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 2:28 PM, Nathaniel Smith <njs at pobox.com
>     <mailto:njs at pobox.com>> wrote:
> 
>         On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 10:13 PM, Sturla Molden
>         <sturla.molden at gmail.com <mailto:sturla.molden at gmail.com>> wrote:
>         > Benjamin Lerman <qsr at chromium.org <mailto:qsr at chromium.org>>
>         wrote:
>         >
>         >>  Would cython accept to add such a copyright header on its files?
>         >
>         > You want to display the Apache licence in every single file,
>         even those
>         > with utility C code?
> 
>         It's annoying, but a pretty standard request. Debian once made me do
>         this for some package or another (forget which) before they would
>         distribute it, though obviously that rule is inconsistently applied.
>         Still, it's pretty trivial and has real-world consequences, so why
>         reject a patch like this?
> 
> 
>     Debian currently distributes Cython without these headers. 
> 
> 
> Yes, they're inconsistent, as I noted.
>  

It is inconsistent but still encouraged.
As a debian maintainer I much appreciate when the files all contain
copyright statements, it simplifies one of the most time consuming part
of packaging, making sure all the copyrights are in order.
Per file copyright headers allow automated tools to quickly classify a
source tree and make it easier to find the files that need more detailed
checking.


> 
> 
>     I am curious why a licence in a top level directory that explicitly
>     states it applies to everything in that directory is not
>     sufficiently clear. What about auto-generated files? What about
>     binary blobs? All 1000+ test files? 
> 
>     http://www.apache.org/dev/apply-license.html#copy-per-file
> 
> 
> That link is about sticking a copy of the apache license text in every
> file, this is about having a few line header saying "This is part of
> Cython, copyright Cython devs, released under Apache-2, see LICENSE.txt
> for details".

Yes you only need to include a short header not the full license.
The recommended header is in the APPENDIX section:
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0


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