[ASIS-1 patch 0/6] Deep review of 'AS IS' disclaimers - part 1

[Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>]

Folks,

after finishing the boring big sort out phase, we're now at the point to
look at the patches on hold.

I've sorted the on hold patches into categories with matching patterns so
we can look at each pattern separately.

The first batch is from the 'AS IS' category. All patches in this series
have the same modification of the standard GPLv2 disclaimer.

Standard disclaimer:

    this program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful
    but without any warranty without even the implied warranty of
    merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose

Modified diclaimer:

    this program is distributed as is without any warranty of any kind
    whether express[ed] or implied without even the implied warranty of
    merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose

The NO WARRANTY section of the GPLv2 contains:

    PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
    EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
    WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE

In my opinion the modified disclaimer contains nothing which is
substantially different, but I might be wrong as usual.

In case we agree on that, I would amend the changelogs of the individual
patches with a paragraph explaining our conclusion. Something along the
lines:

    The patterns deviate from the standard GPLv2 disclaimer, but the
    modification does not expand beyond the standard disclaimer and the NO
    WARRANTY section of the GPLv2. So replacing the license notice
    including the modified disclaimer with the SPDX license identifier
    results in the same protections and conditions.

Feel free to suggest better wording or deeper explanation.

Thanks,

	tglx