Bug#44566: dpkg: /usr/doc/dpkg/copyright problem (policy violation in base package)
Package: dpkg
Version: 1.4.1.6
Severity: important
(important because of being copyright file error and policy violation)
=== Begin excerpt from the end of /usr/doc/dpkg/copyright ===
/usr/bin/md5sum is compiled from md5.[ch] (written by Colin Plumb in
1993 and modified by Ian Jackson in 1995) and md5sum.c (written by
Branko Lankester in 1993 and modified by Colin Plumb in 1993 and Ian
Jackson in 1995). The sources and the binary are all in the public
domain.
=== End excerpt ===
Being non-Debian-specific code, shouldn't this say "...downloaded
from..." (Colin's site in oz perhaps?) Actually, now that I check
policy, I see the word is "must" not "should."
Policy section 6.5 states:
In addition, the copyright file must say where the upstream sources
(if any) were obtained, and explain briefly what modifications were
made in the Debian version of the package compared to the upstream
one. It must name the original authors of the package and the Debian
maintainer(s) who were involved with its creation.
Where were the upstream sources obtained? What mods did Colin make?
Where were they obtained? What mods did Ian make? Are his changes
considered to be upstream now, as implied? If so, where were they
obtained as well?
Base packages really should be policy-compliant, else why have policy
at all?
-- System Information
Debian Release: potato
Kernel Version: Linux phoenix 2.2.12 #1 Sun Aug 29 23:50:10 UTC 1999 i586 unknown
Versions of the packages dpkg depends on:
ii libc6 2.1.2-0pre12 GNU C Library: Shared libraries and timezone
ii libncurses4 4.2-3.2 Shared libraries for terminal handling
ii libstdc++2.9-gl 2.91.66-2 The GNU stdc++ library (EGCS version)
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