[task #16374] Using LICENSE instead of COPYING

[Mohammad Akhlaghi]

URL:
  <https://savannah.nongnu.org/task/?16374>

                 Summary: Using LICENSE instead of COPYING
                   Group: Maneage
               Submitter: makhlaghi
               Submitted: Mon 05 Jun 2023 05:22:45 PM BST
         Should Start On: Mon 05 Jun 2023 12:00:00 AM BST
   Should be Finished on: Mon 05 Jun 2023 12:00:00 AM BST
                Category: Discussion
                Priority: 5 - Normal
                  Status: In Progress
                 Privacy: Public
        Percent Complete: 0%
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                  Effort: 0.00


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Follow-up Comments:


-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon 05 Jun 2023 05:22:45 PM BST By: Mohammad Akhlaghi <makhlaghi>
[This task was originally defined [1] in Gitlab as a merge request by Juan
Julián Merelo Guervós.]

The fact that "A license is much more than copying rights, and the usual best
practice is to call it that way", is a good point! The main reason we done
this was to follow the GNU Coding Standards and the GNU guide on using GNU
license [2].

So I just sent a query to 'bug-standards@gnu.org' inquiring about the usage of
'LICENSE' instead of 'COPYING' to get their feedback. It should show up on
their mailing list archives after they approve it (for "2023-06"). 

Until they answer, please feel free to share your thoughts about the issue
here.

[1] https://gitlab.com/maneage/project/-/merge_requests/5
[2] https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-howto.html
[3] https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-standards/




P.S. Email inquiry submitted to 'bug-standards@gnu.org':



-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: GPL is more than copying conditions
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2023 17:51:56 +0200
To: bug-standards@gnu.org

Dear GNU Coding Standards maintainers,

This issue was recently brought up by Juan Julián Merelo Guervós in the
"Maneage" project [1] that I am maintaining (see [2]).

In Maneage, following the GNU Coding Standards and the "How to use GNU
Licenses" guide [3], we have a 'COPYING' file for the full text of the GNU GPL
v3+. In [2] Juan raised the following point:

"A license is much more than copying rights, and the usual best practice is to
call it that way [LICENSE]"

Therefore, his pull request has changed the file name from 'COPYING' to
'LICENSE' to be a more clear and unambiguous name.

I wanted to consult you about this: why not recommend to use the less
ambiguous 'LICENSE' (as well as 'COPYING' for historical reasons)?

Thank you very much,
Mohammad

[1] https://maneage.org
[2]
https://gitlab.com/maneage/project/-/merge_requests/5/diffs?commit_id=c0e85530d35ba
[3] https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-howto.html









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