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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: CMake source files without license
From:       Harald Sitter <sitter () kde ! org>
Date:       2020-06-24 13:23:31
Message-ID: CAEc+18FbMcE01mnF1v25BKosgsbkG7kADBojymN42Dts6OpiUQ () mail ! gmail ! com
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On Mon, Jun 22, 2020 at 11:27 PM Elvis Angelaccio
<elvis.angelaccio@kde.org> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I was wondering, is there a reason why our CMakeLists.txt files often do
> not contain a license?

The majority are probably trivial works that nobody can really claim
copyright on and to that end cannot extend a license either.

> Shouldn't they have one? Or at least the CMakeLists.txt files that are
> "big" enough?

That is of course the trouble. When does a cmakelists file become a
copyrightable work that needs a license to be made free?

With that in mind perhaps we should simply make it a matter of policy
that all new cmakelists should be equipped with spdx tags? Always,
even if they only contain a single line. If all files have a license
specified we at least can't forget to add one later and everyone is on
the same page about the license, should (part of) a cmakelists become
a Finder or otherwise derived work later.
For existing files one could opt to explicitly license them as needed.
The unfortunate thing there is that at least for moral reasons one
needs to ask all prior authors for consent, and that's a fair amount
of work.

HS
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