Re: Sponsorship requirements and copyright files
On Thu, Mar 26 2009, Russ Allbery wrote:
> Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> writes:
>
>> Not currently seems to imply that at some point it will be
>> mandatory at some point. I find that somewhat presumptuous, but
>> perhaps I am reading too much into the "in this current time" bit. I
>> would put it as this is a proposal. It is not, and will not become
>> policy, unless something improves radically. Even so, it might never
>> become policy, and at this point a proposal in good enough shape to
>> even start discussing the merits of the idea does not exist. When a
>> proposal which is even maginally viable is licked into shape, it shall
>> be brought forth to light again. And, if it is very good, it might live
>> to see light in policy.
>
> One intermediate way in which I could see this specification going into
> Policy without it being required for anyone would be to add a subsection
> of the copyright section that says "you are not required to use any
> particular format for debian/copyright, but if you *want* to use a
> structured format, please use this one." I can see some value in doing
> that without requiring the format and I think it would fit into the
> mandate of Policy to do so.
You think policy shol recommend people use a format known to ve
flawed, in draft form, and scheduled to be radically changed? I think
this is one case where policy should instead butt out and let the
format be tested and adopted by users and have the kinks worked way out
before recommending something that no one actually defends using.
Indeed, changing recommendations on an ongoing basis as the
specification is modified, tested, and modified again would lead to
people who follow policy recommendations to be using something that is
deprecated, and would be the wrong thing for policy to do.
Am I missing something? (It has been a long day of meetings, and
the hotel bed is lumpy, and I am replying to these mails fighting bouts
of insomnia)
manoj
--
No matter who you are, some scholar can show you the great idea you had
was had by someone before you.
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/~srivasta/>
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