Arch Linux

monson

Member

Registered: 2011-06-18

Posts: 4

Split packages with shared license file

Hi there! I'm spliting a package into many, which all should share the same license file. I wonder if they need separate copies into "licenses/$pkgname/LICENSE", or there is some way they could share one "licenses/$pkgbase/LICENSE"?

Lone_Wolf

Member

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 11,911

Re: Split packages with shared license file

Keep in mind that split packages result in multiple binary packages, the license situation for each binary needs to be clear.
If a package requires  a separate license file that's not (or can't be) included in /usr/share /licenses/common  it needs to have that file in /usr/share/licenses/$pkgname .

See for example the extra / mesa PKGBUILD .

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eschwartz

Fellow

Registered: 2014-08-08

Posts: 4,097

Re: Split packages with shared license file

Hi there! I'm spliting a package into many, which all should share the same license file. I wonder if they need separate copies into "licenses/$pkgname/LICENSE", or there is some way they could share one "licenses/$pkgbase/LICENSE"?

You need to ensure no matter which package they install, they get the license.

If all of them depend on one of the split packages, you could have each subpackage install a symlink. For example, each of the split packages in gcc install a symlink for /usr/share/licenses/gcc*/RUNTIME.LIBRARY.EXCEPTION, pointing to /usr/share/licenses/gcc-libs/RUNTIME.LIBRARY.EXCEPTION since gcc-libs is a dependency of all the gcc frontend split packages.

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monson

Member

Registered: 2011-06-18

Posts: 4

Re: Split packages with shared license file

I see, thanks above.