git: 686cf5468c4a - main - flex: Regen bootstrap files

[Warner Losh]

On Tue, Apr 20, 2021 at 10:24 AM Jung-uk Kim <jkim at freebsd.org> wrote:

> On 21. 4. 20., Rodney W. Grimes wrote:
> >> On 21. 4. 20., Rodney W. Grimes wrote:
> >>>> The branch main has been updated by jkim:
> >>>>
> >>>> URL:
> https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/src/commit/?id=686cf5468c4a85c2a6385cdbab2383900876a41d
> >>>>
> >>>> commit 686cf5468c4a85c2a6385cdbab2383900876a41d
> >>>> Author:     Jung-uk Kim <jkim at FreeBSD.org>
> >>>> AuthorDate: 2021-04-19 18:20:51 +0000
> >>>> Commit:     Jung-uk Kim <jkim at FreeBSD.org>
> >>>> CommitDate: 2021-04-19 18:20:51 +0000
> >>>>
> >>>>     flex: Regen bootstrap files
> >>>>
> >>>>     This also partially reverts r326025 (8a16b7a18f5d).  I do not see
> any
> >>>>     point of adding SPDX tag in generated file.
> >>>
> >>> The SPDX identifies the copyright that follows it, so please put this
> back.
> >>
> >> It is a generated file.  If you really think it is necessary, you need
> >> to patch its source, i.e., contrib/flex/src/parse.y, and regen the file.
> >
> > Just because it is a generated file does not change the fact that
> > its contents are copyrighted.  Leaving the copyright out at best
> > defaults to Bern convention, so the fact of the mater is the contents
> > is copyrighted, and it is best to explicitly state that it is.
>
> Of course, it is copyrighted.  My point was parse.y should have been
> patched, not the generated file, if necessary.
>

Yes. It was a mistake to put it into the generated file.


> >> However, I don't see much sense in automatically adding BSD license in
> >> every generated file in the first place.  In fact, I think it should not
> >> appear on generated file at all.  It may say something along the line of
> >> "generated by flex" instead but IANAL.
> >
> > Well, someone before you did see since in it, and hence put that SPDX in
> it.
>
> Let me put it in another way.  Do we really want to tag contrib code?
>

I tend to agree.

I tend to agree because the SPDX tags are generally only looked at in the
source tree by existing tools. The generated code won't be looked at
typically.
We should work to get this upstream, imho.

By itself, the SPDX tag is just information. There's no legal requirement in
copyright law to have it. Current project policy states they are just
informative,
though there's some desire to have a good framework to allow code with
just a copyright and a SDPX tag into the tree, so long as that framework
can be used to know what the license is for any file in a clear and
unambiguous
way.

Warner