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Delete license headers from files
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Authored by vrana on Nov 5 2012, 4:21 AM.
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Details

Summary

This commit doesn't change license of any file. It just makes the license implicit (inherited from LICENSE file in the root directory).

We are removing the headers for these reasons:

  • It wastes space in editors, less code is visible in editor upon opening a file.
  • It brings noise to diff of the first change of any file every year.
  • It confuses Git file copy detection when creating small files.
  • We don't have an explicit license header in other files (JS, CSS, images, documentation).
  • Using license header in every file is not obligatory: http://www.apache.org/dev/apply-license.html#new.

This change is approved by Alma Chao (Lead Open Source and IP Counsel at Facebook).

Test Plan

Verified that the license survived only in LICENSE file and that it didn't modify externals.

Diff Detail

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Event Timeline

The LICENSE file should contain the full text of the license.

vrana updated this revision to Unknown Object (????).Nov 5 2012, 4:54 AM

Full license, NOTICE

vrana updated this revision to Unknown Object (????).Nov 5 2012, 4:58 AM

Cleanup README

Why remove it from the readme? The readme gets turned into the main landing page so it's quite common to put license information there. Maybe remove the URL?

I like having one source of truth. Either it should be README or LICENSE. We must have LICENSE so it should be it. Then there couldn't be any disputes.

On the other hand, I could see how it can be useful in README and I don't have a problem with putting it back and adding it also to other repos.

What others think?

Given that the license is quite unlikely to change I don't see the single source of truth as being problematic when compared to making this information easily accessible. At least in non-startups (or startups which are selling software) the license is one of the first questions once you've decided the software could be useful.

vrana planned changes to this revision.Nov 5 2012, 5:15 AM

It's not only LICENSE, it's also NOTICE which could change quite easily. But I agree that the value of this is worth the effort of keeping it in sync and also worth the risk of getting it out of sync.

vrana updated this revision to Unknown Object (????).Nov 5 2012, 5:16 AM

Revert README

vrana updated this revision to Unknown Object (????).Nov 5 2012, 5:19 AM

Remove URL

avivey changed the visibility from "All Users" to "Public (No Login Required)".