FTP Masters, As you are well aware, the current REJECT-FAQ[1] forbids the use of the PHP License for anything except for PHP itself. In August I contacted the Pear Group about this[2], to no immediate avail. In October Joerg Jaspert opened a number of RC bugs with existing Debian packages of Pear packages which use the PHP License (bugs 332606, 332607, 332608, 332609, 332610, 332611, 332613, 332614, 332615, 332616, 332617, and 332618 are still open). In November I sent a message to all upstream maintainers about the situation, requesting them to change their license. Pierre Joye, a member of the Pear Group, reported in bug #332607[3] that the Pear Group had asked the PHP Group to modify the PHP License in order to make it fit for use by Pear packages. Soon thereafter he announced[4] version 3.01 of the PHP License was released, and that it should fix the problems we were concerned with. Since that time there has been an ongoing discussion about the PHP License. While many are concerned that the PHP Licence itself is not free (even for PHP), it appears that the new PHP License can be applied on equal grounds to both PHP and PHP Group software, thus making it as fit for use with Pear packages as it is for PHP[5,6]. Given this new development, I would like to request that the FTP Masters start accepting PHP Group packages licenced under the PHP License (at least as long as the PHP License is still considered free enough for PHP in Debian), or at least join the current discussion, pushing it to one of its two logical conclusions: the acceptance of the PHP Licence as free for PHP and PHP Group software (and an accompanying update of the REJECT_FAQ, and the closing of the open RC bugs in Pear packages), or the rejection of the PHP License for both PHP and PHP Group software in Debian (and the opening of an RC bug with PHP itself, and a request to the PHP Group to further update their license). thanks, Charles 1. http://ftp-master.debian.org/REJECT-FAQ.html 2. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/08/msg00188.html 3. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/11/msg00259.html 4. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/11/msg00260.html 5. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/12/msg00142.html 6. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2006/01/msg00056.html -- Take a tip For your trip No wet brush To soak Your grip Burma-Shave http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1931/take_a_tip
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