Re: [PATCH 6/6] xz: Remove GPLv3 license checksum

[Mark Hatle <mark.hatle@windriver.com>]

On 9/4/19 4:27 PM, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 04, 2019 at 08:07:58AM -0400, Mark Hatle wrote:
>> On 9/3/19 1:59 PM, Wes Lindauer wrote:
>> ...
>>> In reference to "It typically does NOT include the license of things used to
>>> build the software (such as makefiles, autoconf fragments, etc)".
>>> Since the only file that is licensed under GPLv3 is a M4 macro, does that mean
>>> the current patch is still valid? Shouldn't the GPLv3 license be removed from
>>> this recipe?
>>
>> Unless the M4 file is generating/injecting code into the build(very few I've
>> seen do this),
>> ...
> 
> If the defines in config.h are "code" then many do.

Is there a license statement at the top of the config.h?  If so, then it counts.

Or is it just 'facts' (i.e. defines without any creative content)?  Then I don't
consider it relevant to the source license, based on statements I've seen elsewhere.

From the latest autoconf source code docs:

http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=autoconf.git;a=blob;f=doc/autoconf.texi;h=2ac669696e730c051fbc072de4e5fe713f8b0f59;hb=HEAD

25843 @node Distributing
25844 @section Distributing @command{configure} Scripts
25845 @cindex License
25846
25847 @display
25848 What are the restrictions on distributing @command{configure}
25849 scripts that Autoconf generates?  How does that affect my
25850 programs that use them?
25851 @end display
25852
25853 There are no restrictions on how the configuration scripts that Autoconf
25854 produces may be distributed or used.  In Autoconf version 1, they were
25855 covered by the GNU General Public License.  We still encourage
25856 software authors to distribute their work under terms like those of the
25857 GPL, but doing so is not required to use Autoconf.
25858
25859 Of the other files that might be used with @command{configure},
25860 @file{config.h.in} is under whatever copyright you use for your
25861 @file{configure.ac}.  @file{config.sub} and @file{config.guess} have an
25862 exception to the GPL when they are used with an Autoconf-generated
25863 @command{configure} script, which permits you to distribute them under the
25864 same terms as the rest of your package.  @file{install-sh} is from the X
25865 Consortium and is not copyrighted.

So the terms of the config.h (from MY personal interpretation) is that it's
under the same terms as the how the rest of the source code is declared.  I.e.
even if autoconf is GPLv3, the output is not.

--Mark

>> --Mark
> 
> cu
> Adrian
>