Re: lintian-warning copyright-lists-upstream-authors-like-dh_make
Hi,
By way of preface, I really meant to make the general observation that
"help" text -- like package descriptions -- should be carefully
crafted. My intention is not to pick on the author of this particular
text (I'm surely guilty of equally-bad phrasing). And yes, I know
that this particular text has already been removed.
On Tue, Oct 02, 2001 at 10:55:04AM +0200, Josip Rodin wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 01, 2001 at 03:17:09PM -0400, Steve M. Robbins wrote:
> > > W: prips: copyright-lists-upstream-authors-like-dh_make
> > > N:
> > > N: There is "Upstream Author(s)" in your copyright file. This is not a
> > > N: fixed field name, it's just a default dh_make value. You should adjust
> > > N: it.
> > > N:
> >
> > ... this "long description" is spectacularly uninformative!
>
> Er, what else is there to say but that what I said above?
Well to start with, there is no need to mention "dh_make". I
understand that one source of this "error" comes from copying the
dh_make template verbatim. But for other folks who just copied
another copyright file --- and have never used dh_make --- the
reference is puzzling red herring.
> It says that you
> should adjust the string "Upstream Author(s)" in your copyright file, isn't
> it obvious? And isn't it obvious that it is left to you to change it the way
> you like it[1], since there is no specific format mentioned?
Well, no. It's not obvious to me.
Already in the first sentence, I am unsure whether you mean the string
"Upstream Author(s)", or the actual authors listed in my copyright
file. In the second line, I'm confused what "dh_make" has to do with
it. And what "dh_make value" is being referred to? By now I'm so
confused that I don't know what "it" refers to in the final sentence.
There were already a couple of good clarifications in the -mentors
thread. As I understand it, the intent is to say
Do not use "Upstream Author(s)" in the copyright file. Use
either "Upstream Author" or, if there are multiple authors,
"Upstream Authors".
-S
--
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by Taxi to the Airport,
by Frontdoor to the Taxi,
by throwing back the blanket and laying down the legs ...
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