Re: [OF] where to put license files?

[Philip Nienhuis]

Carnë:

Thanks for the prompt answer.

However they induce more questions: (sorry :-) )

Carnë Draug wrote:
> On 23 December 2015 at 19:15, Philip Nienhuis <address@hidden> wrote:
> > In installed OF packages the GPL license (COPYING) resides in the packinfo/
> > subdir.  So that subdir looks like a good place for other licenses
> > associated with SW in a package.
> > ==> How do I get together that e.g., a file "license.txt" ends up in
> > packinfo/ ?
> >
> > (FYI, I want to include some c++ code covered by an MIT license
> > (GPL-compatible) in the mapping package.)
>
> You leave your COPYING file with the GPLv3+ license and simply add the
> file under the MIT license to the repository.

My very question was *how* to do that. If I simply put it anywhere in 
the package, it never gets installed.

Anyway I saw that that same MIT license text is already in the .cc file 
so the my question is a bit moot.

> However, since you are modifying the code, you can put your changes under
> the GPL.  In that case, just add the GPL header to the top of the file
> followed by:

I'd be equally happy with adding my modifications under that same MIT 
license. That MIT license is GPL-compatible, after all.

> > BTW, the instructions for package maintainers/developers are quite terse
> > these days - I had to access www.archive.org for older versions to get info
> > on package structure and contents of the DESCRIPTION file. Shouldn't that be
> > on the current octave-forge developers page?
>
> No.  That documentation is part of the manual.  We don't want to repeat
> ourselves and end up with out of sync documentation:
>
>      
> https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/doc/interpreter/The-DESCRIPTION-File.html

That is very good and wise.
Yet IMO it would be good to reference that part of the manual (or the 
URL higher up, "Creating packages") with a hyperlink. Or at least have 
some indication that the Octave manual contains more info on OF package 
creation. I do not see it mentioned now.

Philip