[Python-Dev] Introducing Electronic Contributor Agreements

[Mark Lawrence]

On 04/03/2013 22:08, Brett Cannon wrote:
>
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 4:33 PM, Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy at yahoo.co.uk
> <mailto:breamoreboy at yahoo.co.uk>> wrote:
>
>     On 04/03/2013 20:46, Terry Reedy wrote:
>
>         On 3/4/2013 11:36 AM, Brett Cannon wrote:
>
>
>
>
>             On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 11:30 AM, Brian Curtin
>             <brian at python.org <mailto:brian at python.org>
>             <mailto:brian at python.org <mailto:brian at python.org>>> wrote:
>
>                  The full announcement is at
>
>             http://blog.python.org/2013/__03/introducing-electronic-__contributor.html
>             <http://blog.python.org/2013/03/introducing-electronic-contributor.html>,
>                  but a summary follows.
>
>                  We've now moved to an electronic Contributor License
>             Agreement
>             form at
>             http://www.python.org/psf/__contrib/contrib-form/
>             <http://www.python.org/psf/contrib/contrib-form/> which will
>             hopefully
>                  ease the signing and sending of forms for our potential
>             contributors.
>                  The form shows the required fields whether you're
>             signing as an
>                  individual or a representative of an organization, and
>             removes the
>                  need to print, scan, fax, etc.
>
>                  When a new contributor fills in the form, they are
>             emailed a copy of
>                  the form and asked to confirm the email address that
>             they used (and
>                  received that copy at). Upon confirming, the signed
>             form is sent to
>                  the PSF Administrator and filed away.
>
>                  The signature can either be generated from your typed
>             name, or you
>             can
>                  draw or upload your actual written signature if you choose.
>
>
>             With this in place I would like to propose that all patches
>             submitted to
>             bugs.python.org <http://bugs.python.org>
>             <http://bugs.python.org> must come from someone who has
>             signed the CLA before we consider committing it (if you want
>             to be truly
>             paranoid we could say that we won't even look at the code
>             w/o a CLA).
>
>
>         Either policy could be facilitated by tracker changes. In order
>         to see
>         the file upload box, one must login and the tracker knows who
>         has a CLA
>         on file (as indicated by a * suffix on the name). If a file is
>         uploaded
>         by someone without, a box could popup with the link to the
>         e-form and a
>         message that a CLA is required.
>
>
>     People already use the bug tracker as an excuse not to contribute,
>     wouldn't this requirement make the situation worse?
>
>
> Depends on your paranoia. If you're worried about accidentally lifting
> IP merely by reading someone's source code, then you wouldn't want to
> touch code without the CLA signed.
>
> Now I'm not that paranoid, but I'm still not about to commit someone's
> code now without the CLA signed to make sure we are legally covered for
> the patch. If someone chooses not to contribute because of the CLA
> that's fine, but since we have already told at least Anatoly that we
> won't accept patches from him until he signs the CLA I'm not going to
> start acting differently towards others. I view legally covering our ass
> by having someone fill in a form is worth the potential loss of some
> contribution in the grand scheme of things.
>
>

Who's talking source code, you're previously mentioned *ALL* patches 
needing a CLA.  Does this mean you have to sign a CLA for a one line 
documentation patch?  What is the definition of a patch, an actual patch 
file or a proposal for a change that is given within a bug tracker message?

-- 
Cheers.

Mark Lawrence