Plugin Devs: Should we include a License or COPYING file?

[KevinH]

Hi Plugin Devs,

What are you thoughts on asking Plugin Developers to include a License information file in their plugins or at least on their main plugin thread page?

That way a developer can explicitly select their own license and if they use external or internal python libraries or tools, they can note their specific license details as well.

For example, for my own plugins, I was thinking of using LGPL2 or LGPL3 making them free to copy and abuse but just not easy to make private. For some of my other plugins I might choose a BSD or MIT license since I really do not care one way or the other about the license and who uses it. I am just happy they are useful.

For things you want to make commercial, you could include a license stating that all copying is forbidden without express permission from the author.

At least in that way, people might feel more free to modify and improve plugins without worry since without a license file or some other license indication, copying and modification with redistribution is not permitted.

What are your thoughts?

[Doitsu]

1. How about adding a <license>LPGL2/LPGL3/BSD</license> tag to plugin.xml?
2. You could also add a license boilerplate to the Plugin index topic that states that all plugins are LPGL2/LGP3/BSD licensed, unless specified otherwise.

(I don't really care what default license you pick, because my plugins are the Python equivalent of VBA macros.)

Maybe you could add a poll to this topic?

[KevinH]

Hi Doitsu,

I do not really want to pick a default license nor make it part of the plugin.xml. A license is completely determined by the author and the license of any other libraries and tools he/she uses.

I am simply advocating that we ask all plugin developers to include their own license information either in a License file inside their plugin or on their main thread plugin page someplace so that future plugins are not orphaned if the chosen license allows it to be copied/redistributed.

I guess we could modify the Plugin index to add a license field to the summary information available for each plugin to make it easier for users to find all of the license information in one place.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by KevinH

I am simply advocating that we ask all plugin developers to include their own license information either in a License file inside their plugin or on their main thread plugin page someplace so that future plugins are not orphaned if the chosen license allows it to be copied/redistributed.

That's my main concern as well. If we get the devs to include the information (in the plugin, in the plugin's thread, or both), then someone can take up the mantle if a dev happens to leave the community (and the license is amenable).

A far As I'm concerned, the license/copying policy could be as formal, or informal as they (the dev) want it to be. As long we have something to go on when something does happen to get orphaned.