Re: first package pcftisio
On Wed, Mar 01, 2006 at 09:51:44AM +0100, Cedric BRINER wrote:
> > >after searching for a copyright, I sent him an email about it:
> >
> > >> There is not copyright on pCFITSIO. No guaranties either :-)
> >
> > >so I was wondering, if such kind of 'NO COPYRIGHT' can be included in
> > >debian ?
> >
> > Sure. It's public domain. I'd write a small blurb into the copyright
> > file that says that you contacted the author for clarification, quotes
> > the email and states that this has been interpreted that as placing the
> > software in the PD, then sign the entire thing to testify that you have
> > actually done all that stuff.
> >
> > Simon
>
> hello,
> I'm not having any response from the author.
> so I've grepped copyright in the files. and get the follow
>
> grep -i copyright *
> config.c:Copyright (c) 2000, BeOpen.com.
> config.c:Copyright (c) 1995-2000, Corporation for National Research Initiatives.
> config.c:Copyright (c) 1990-1995, Stichting Mathematisch Centrum.
> config.c:See the file "Misc/COPYRIGHT" for information on usage and
> fitsio.h:Copyright (Unpublished--all rights reserved under the copyright laws of
> fitsio.h:of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. No copyright is
> fitsio.h:copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty appears in all copies.
> fitsio.html:Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
> pcfitsio_wrap.c: * Portions Copyright (c) 1995-1998
>
> And I've put on the bottom of the email the part of the code which contains the word ``copyright''.
> Now the fact is that I do not know if such kind of copyright on this files will arleady
> not allowing us to push this software on debian. So if already restrict it, then there is no point
> to bother the author. Does this files restricts it? if not I do have to re-contact the author of pcfitsio !
I'm pretty confident that you could justify that this is free
software, but it might require some work. Ideally this would would
have already been done, and made available by a single coherent and
comprehensive statement provided by upstream.
> cat config.c
> /* Generated automatically from /scisoft/bin/../python/lib/python2.1/config/config.c.in by makesetup. */
> /* -*- C -*- ***********************************************
> Copyright (c) 2000, BeOpen.com.
> Copyright (c) 1995-2000, Corporation for National Research Initiatives.
> Copyright (c) 1990-1995, Stichting Mathematisch Centrum.
> All rights reserved.
>
> See the file "Misc/COPYRIGHT" for information on usage and
Do you have such a file?
> cat fitsio.h
> #include <numarray/arrayobject.h>
>
> /* The FITSIO software was written by William Pence at the High Energy */
> /* Astrophysic Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) at the NASA */
> /* Goddard Space Flight Center. */
> /*
>
> Copyright (Unpublished--all rights reserved under the copyright laws of
> the United States), U.S. Government as represented by the Administrator
> of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. No copyright is
> claimed in the United States under Title 17, U.S. Code.
This is very good; it is public domain (although the way it is phrased
seems poor)
> Permission to freely use, copy, modify, and distribute this software
> and its documentation without fee is hereby granted, provided that this
> copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty appears in all copies.
This is strange, again, since PD software doesn't need a license
statement. But its okay I guess.
> cat pcfitsio_wrap.c
> /*
> * FILE : pcfitsio_wrap.c
> *
> * This file was automatically generated by :
> * Simplified Wrapper and Interface Generator (SWIG)
> * Version 1.1 (Patch 5)
> *
> * Portions Copyright (c) 1995-1998
> * The University of Utah and The Regents of the University of California.
> * Permission is granted to distribute this file in any manner provided
> * this notice remains intact.
> *
> * Do not make changes to this file--changes will be lost!
> *
> */
You're going to have to find the input SWIG file, and make sure that
it grants permission to both modify and distribute, and also try to
make sure that SWIG comes with some statement to the effect of "swig
output is under a liberal license ... "
Justin
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