[Python-modules-team] Antlr LICENSE.txt missing in xlwt-0.7.0 source package

Fri Jan 9 07:58:27 UTC 2009

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Hello,

in the meanwhile we finished packaging xlwt for Debian. It's currently in NEW
[1] and will have its package page at [2] if it will be available in the
regular Debian unstable archive. Instead of using the included antlr.py we
decided to use the antlr.py from Debian's antlr package [3] that seems to be
compatible with xlwt. You may have a look at the current Debian copyright file
and tell me whether you see anything missing.

[1] http://ftp-master.debian.org/new/xlwt_0.7.0-2.html
[2] http://packages.qa.debian.org/x/xlwt.html
[3] http://packages.qa.debian.org/a/antlr.html

Regards
Jan Dittberner

On Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 04:20:56PM -0800, Terence Parr wrote:
> Hi Guys,
>
> I haven't heard from Wolfgang in a while...CC'ing.  Anyway, ANTLR v2 was 
> meant to be public domain but it was a sloppy way to say it.  I'm not 
> sure if Wolfgang did something different wth the v2 Python  
> output...sorry.
>
> Ter
>
> On Jan 8, 2009, at 4:17 PM, John Machin wrote:
>
>> Hello, Terence,
>>
>> I'm the maintainer of xlwt, a Python package for writing Excel  
>> spreadsheets. It uses antlr (currently version 2.7.5) to compile Excel 
>> formulas.
>>
>> Here is a message from Jan Dittberner (Debian packager):
>>
>> > Subject:
>> > Antlr LICENSE.txt missing in xlwt-0.7.0 source package
>> > From:
>> > Jan Dittberner <jan at dittberner.info>
>> > Date:
>> > Sun, 4 Jan 2009 21:58:28 +0100
>> > To:
>> > John Machin <sjmachin at lexicon.net>
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>> >
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > I'm about to package your xlwt Python package for Debian
>> > (http://www.debian.org/). During the preparation of the package I  
>> got
>> > aware that the Python sources of xlwt include a file antlr.py that
>> > contains the following copyright notice:
>> >
>> > ## This file is part of PyANTLR. See LICENSE.txt for license
>> > ## details..........Copyright (C) Wolfgang Haefelinger, 2004.
>> >
>> > The mentioned file is not included anywhere in the xlwt source
>> > distribution.
>> >
>> > There are two ways to resolve this situation:
>> >
>> > 1. Include the mentioned LICENSE.txt in xlwt
>> >
>> > 2. remove antlr.py from the distributed sources and add an explicit
>> >    dependency to pyantlr
>> >
>> > For the Debian package I'll strip antlr.py from the xlwt tarball and
>> > will use the antlr.py provided by Debian's antlr package. It would  
>> be
>> > good to fix the source distribution nonetheless.
>> >
>> > Thanks for your work on xlwt.
>> >
>> >
>> > Regards
>> > Jan Dittberner
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>>
>> The file antlr.py contains as Jan says the text
>> """
>> ## This file is part of PyANTLR. See LICENSE.txt for license
>> ## details..........Copyright (C) Wolfgang Haefelinger, 2004.
>> """
>>
>> AFAICT, there is no such package or other independent software entity 
>> as "PyANTLR". Doing a web search for PyANTLR yields mainly only 
>> corroborative evidence -- e.g. an exchange where persion 1 says he 
>> can't find any info about pyANTLR on the ANTLR web-site and person 2 
>> replies with ANTLR download and installation instructions for folk who 
>> want a target=only_Python kit.
>>
>> Having followed those instructions, one finds (on a Windows machine)  
>> in directory C:\antlr\277\extras two files __init__.py and antlr.py.  
>> The latter is the antlr.py mentioned earlier. The __init__.py  
>> contains:
>> """
>> # ANTLR Translator Generator
>> # Project led by Terence Parr at http://www.jGuru.com
>> # Software rights: http://www.antlr.org/license.html
>> """
>>
>> That URL points to the antlr v3 licence. The antlr2 documentation page 
>> has only a link http://www.antlr2.org/license.html, which also points 
>> to the antlr3 licence.
>>
>> The installed ANTLR includes the file C:\antlr\277\LICENSE.txt which  
>> contains:
>> """
>> SOFTWARE RIGHTS
>>
>> ANTLR 1989-2006 Developed by Terence Parr
>> Partially supported by University of San Francisco & jGuru.com
>>
>> We reserve no legal rights to the ANTLR--it is fully in the
>> public domain. An individual or company may do whatever
>> they wish with source code distributed with ANTLR or the
>> code generated by ANTLR, including the incorporation of
>> ANTLR, or its output, into commerical software.
>> """
>> which is quite different to the antlr v3 licence.
>>
>> Firstly, could you please confirm that ANTLR v2 is in the public  
>> domain?
>>
>> Secondly, there appears to be a conflict between "copyright" in one  
>> file and "public domain" in the other -- what is the licencing status 
>> of the run-time file antlr.py? [I have tried to contact Wolfgang 
>> Haefelinger at two different e-mail addresses; results were (1) quota 
>> exceeded (2) silence]
>>
>> Armed with those answers (and any other remarks you might make), I  
>> should be able to come up with a solution which respects the ANTLR etc 
>> licence, and reduces inconvenience for xlwt users and packagers.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> John
>>
>>
>

- -- 
Jan Dittberner IT-Consulting & -Solutions
Cottbuser Str. 1, D-01129 Dresden
Fax: +49-1805-233633-13337
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