[ClusterLabs Developers] [booth][sbd] GPLv2.1+ clarification request

[Dejan Muhamedagic]

Hi Jan,

On Thu, Mar 17, 2016 at 06:47:37PM +0100, Jan Pokorný wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> during latest reviews of packages building on core cluster
> infrastructure, it turned out there is a frequented (viral?) issue
> with source files declaring unusual licence: GPLv2.1+.

Yes, I'd say that it's all coming from a single source. I suspect
that nobody's looking at the license, just copies another source
file from the same project. Anyway, that's what I did in booth.

Who created the first file with this non-existent license is
anybody's guess. It could probably be traced, but I doubt that
it'd help in any way.

> Affected packages breakdown is at the bottom, including
> (possibly non-exhaustive) contributors that knowingly or unknowingly
> contributed under that file-local license.
> 
> Now, it is highly questionable what was asserted by this license
> reference by particular contributors.  The fact is that such a license
> does not exist.  So the logical implication and view of the situation
> is that affected files are effectively licensed under GPLv3+.
> 
> The other possible view is that it's actually a typo arising from
> LGPL2.1 vs. GPLv2 confusion, and then again it's unclear which one
> should apply.

As you raised this issue earlier in one github pull request, I
looked today into the matter and reached the same conclusion
(which is not much of a conclusion).

> Therefore I would like to start moving towards resolution of this
> issue by soliciting feedback amongst affected contributors (CC'd)
> which direction is preferred:
> 
> 1. settle down on GPLv2+ (or LGPL2.1+), which will likely require
>    whole relicensing process, i.e., collecting sign-offs on this by all
>    contributors in question
> 
> 2. clarify that indeed GPLv3+ was meant and adjust the respective
>    clauses in the source code
> 
> 3. keep the status quo, leave it in the shadow zone allowing for
>    ambiguous interpretations that may leave potential contributors
>    away from the project(s)
> 
> Apparently, both affected packages, booth and sbd, can choose its
> own direction independently of the other package.

I don't have an opinion on which resolution to pursue and I'm not
sure if I care at all.

Thanks,

Dejan

> * * *
> 
> Affected packages breakdown
> 
> package (considered repo, branch):
> - file: GPLv2.1+ source
>   (rest of contributors)
> 
> 
> booth (https://github.com/ClusterLabs/booth, master):
> - src/attr.c: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   ()
> - src/attr.h: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   ()
> - src/auth.c: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   ()
> - src/auth.h: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   ()
> - src/booth.h: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Dejan Muhamedagic, Dongmao Zhang, Philipp Marek)
> - src/config.c: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Daniel Gollub, Dejan Muhamedagic, Kazunori INOUE,
>   Philipp Marek, Yuichi SEINO, Yuusuke Iida)
> - src/config.h: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Dejan Muhamedagic, Philipp Marek)
> - src/handler.c: Philipp Marek
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic)
> - src/handler.h: Philipp Marek
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic)
> - src/inline-fn.h: Philipp Marek
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic)
> - src/log.h: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic, Philipp Marek)
> - src/main.c: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Daniel Gollub, Dejan Muhamedagic, Dongmao Zhang,
>   Guangliang Zhao, Philipp Marek, Xia Li, Yuich SEINO, Yuusuke Iida)
> - src/pacemaker.c: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Daniel Gollub, Dejan Muhamedagic, Philipp Marek)
> - src/pacemaker.h: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic, Philipp Marek)
> - src/raft.c: Philipp Marek
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic)
> - src/raft.h: Philipp Marek 
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic)
> - src/request.c: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   ()
> - src/request.h: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   ()
> - src/ticket.c: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Dejan Muhamedagic, Dongmao Zhang, Guangliang Zhao,
>   Philipp Marek, Yuusuke Iida)
> - src/ticket.h: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Dejan Muhamedagic, Dongmao Zhang, Philipp Marek)
> - src/timer.c: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   (Jiaju Zhang, Philipp Marek)
> - src/timer.h: Dejan Muhamedagic
>   (Jiaju Zhang, Philipp Marek)
> - src/transport.c: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Adam Spiers, Dejan Muhamedagic, Dongmao Zhang, Philipp Marek,
>    Yuich SEINO)
> - src/transport.h: Jiaju Zhang
>   (Dejan Muhamedagic, Philipp Marek)
> (see also
> https://github.com/ClusterLabs/booth/pull/23#issuecomment-193957362)
> 
> 
> sbd (https://github.com/ClusterLabs/sbd, master):
> - agent/sbd: Lars Marowsky-Bree
>   ()
> - man/sbd.8.pod: Lars Marowsky-Bree
>   ()
> - src/sbd-common.c: Lars Marowsky-Bree
>   (Andrew Beekhof)
> - src/sbd.h: Lars Marowsky-Bree
>   (aaronknister, Andrew Beekhof)
> - src/sbd-inquisitor.c: Andrew Beekhof
>   (aaronknister, Lars Ellenberg)
> - src/sbd-md.c: xwhu
>   (Andrew Beekhof, Lars Marowsky-Bree)
> - src/sbd.sh: Lars Marowsky-Bree
>   ()
> - tests/regressions.sh: Lars Marowsky-Bree
>   ()
> 
> -- 
> Jan (Poki)