[Python-Dev] LICENSE file in Python 2.0c1

[Guido van Rossum]

> I've just had a glance at the releas candidate 1. The file LICENSE
> has grown somewhat, but not as much as I feared...

Since when?  It hasn't changed since it was first released, for 2.0b1.

> looking
> at the contents I find the following as only reference to the
> CNRI license (which holds all the surprises we talked about in
> the early beta stages):
> 
> """
> CNRI OPEN SOURCE LICENSE AGREEMENT
> ----------------------------------
> 
> Python 1.6 is made available subject to the terms and conditions in
> CNRI's License Agreement.  This Agreement together with Python 1.6 may
> be located on the Internet using the following unique, persistent
> identifier (known as a handle): 1895.22/1012.  This Agreement may also
> be obtained from a proxy server on the Internet using the following
> URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1895.22/1012.
> """
> 
> Such a note is nice and short, but not legally binding and 
> confusing since it is not clear whether the "handle" for the
> document will always return the same license text or if it
> will return a license text at all.

Why do you say it's not legally binding?  The CNRI license explicitly
allows you to use this exact text instead of including the whole CNRI
license.

> It would be more appropriate to include the original CNRI license
> text, IMHO. Or is there some hidden motivation behind using the
> handle ?

I was just trying to save space.  ActivePython does the same thing as
far as I remember.

BTW, I haven't heard from CNRI in two weeks, but the last thing I
heard from them was that their lawyers had talked to Stallman's lawyer
and that they were optimistic about a successful resolution.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)