Improve license phrasing

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:36:43 +0200

author
Tuomo Valkonen <tuomov@iki.fi>
date
Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:36:43 +0200
changeset 58
4a2c4ee27858
parent 57
d3688b3c7c4e
child 59
7ee6be1823e8

Improve license phrasing

LICENSE file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
--- a/LICENSE	Sat Dec 04 09:32:09 2021 +0200
+++ b/LICENSE	Wed Dec 15 10:36:43 2021 +0200
@@ -1,21 +1,43 @@
-This software is distributed under an ANTI-ABUSE LICENSE (aka. *bollocks
-to copyright and distributions* license), and without any warranty whatsoever.
-If you redistribute this software as part of a larger collection, distribution,
-or suite of software, you must do one of the following:
+
+# Anti-abuse license
+
+## Rationale
+
+The purpose of this license is to give end-users and developers maximal
+freedom to use this software while preventing the authors from being
+abused by powerful middle-men that repackage software for convenient
+installation by users. Such potentially abusive middle-men include in
+particular Linux distributions and similar centralising software
+distribution schemes developed for other operating systems.
+The ethos of this license is *bollocks to copyright and distributions!*
+
+## Rules
 
-(a) Always redistribute the **unmodified** and **latest** version provided
-by the lead author. If the lead author releases a new version (on a specific
-branch, such as 'stable' or 'development'), you must promptly make that new
-version the default version offered to your users (on that specific branch).
+This software is distributed without any warranty whatsoever.
+
+If you redistribute modified versions of this software to the public,
+you must clearly mark them as modified.
+
+If you redistribute this software to the public as part of a large
+collection of software with the purpose of providing end-users with
+a convenient installation method, you must do one of the following:
+
+(a) Always redistribute the **unmodified** and **latest** version
+provided by the authors. If the lead author releases a new version (on a
+specific branch, such as 'stable' or 'development'), you must promptly
+make that new version the default version offered to your users (on
+that specific branch).
 
 (b) Rename the software, and make it obvious that your modified or obsolete
-software is in no way connected to the lead author of the original software.
-The users of your version should under no circumstances be under the
-illusion that they can contact the lead author or any of the authors of the
-original software if they have any complaints or queries.
+software is in no way connected to the authors of the original software.
+The users of your version should under no circumstances be under the 
+illusion that they can contact the lead author or any of the authors
+of the original software if they have any complaints or queries.
 
 (c) Do not in any way directly expose this software to your users. 
 
 Otherwise, do whatever you want with this software. In particular, you may
-freely use code snippets in other projects.
-
+freely use the software as part of other projects, and redistribute to
+the public archival copies of the software (as long as your archive cannot
+be considered a “convenient installation method” that will be governed by
+the rules above).

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