Re: Bug#701660: lintian: Possible wrong syntax-error-in-dep5-copyright test in Lintian (Duplicate field copyright)
Control: reassign -1 debian-policy
Control: retitle -1 debian-policy: Clarifiy DEP5 copyright field example
Dear policy maintainers,
I am reassigning this Lintian bug to you, because I believe it was
caused by an example in the policy. (Full context below)
In a nut shell, I suspect the problem is the following part of
copyright-format/1.0/ specificiation:
"""
Copyright
[...] The Copyright field for that paragraph would contain:
Copyright 2008 John Smith
Copyright 2009, 2010 Angela Watts
[...]
"""
The casual reader may misread this as:
"""
Copyright: 2008 John Smith
Copyright: 2009, 2010 Angela Watts
"""
I.e. as two single-line fields that are both named "Copyright". I think
it would be prudent to rewrite this to something like:
"""
The Copyright field for that paragraph could look like:
Copyright:
Copyright 2008 John Smith
Copyright 2009, 2010 Angela Watts
"""
~Niels
As promised, the context is
On 2013-02-25 21:50, Niels Thykier wrote:
> On 2013-02-25 21:37, Nelson A. de Oliveira wrote:
>> Package: lintian
>> Version: 2.5.11
>> Severity: minor
>>
>> Correct me if I am wrong or if I lack some coffee, please, but with this
>> copyright file:
>>
>> =====
>> Format: http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/
>> Upstream-Name: name
>> Upstream-Contact: Somebody
>>
>> Files: file1.c file2.c
>> Copyright: 2000, 2001 Foo
>> Copyright: 2001, 2002 Bar
>> License: BSD-Like
>> =====
>>
>> I am seeing this:
>>
>> W: test source: syntax-error-in-dep5-copyright line 7: Duplicate field copyright.
>>
>
> The specification says the syntax of these files are that of Policy §5.1
> and said specification do not allow duplicate fields in a given paragraph.
>
>> In
>> http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/#copyright-field
>> we can see an example with two "Copyright" lines.
>>
>
> The example may be confusing, but what you see is not a two fields, but
> "the contents of the field"[1].
>
>> It seems that lintian should not warn for duplicates copyright fields?
>>
>
> My reading is that duplicate fields are a violation of the syntax.
>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Nelson
>>
>> [...]
>
> ~Niels
>
> [1] Note the (by me emphased) singular "field".
>
> """
> _The Copyright field_ for that paragraph would contain:
> """
>
>
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