diff --git a/docs/why_public_domain.md b/docs/why_public_domain.md index 5b6df6f..902e766 100644 --- a/docs/why_public_domain.md +++ b/docs/why_public_domain.md @@ -47,3 +47,68 @@ in the public domain: vorbis audio files, but it may not actually work and if you have problems it's not my fault, but also please report bugs so I can fix them"--so dumb! + +4. discussion from stb_howto.txt on what YOU should do for YOUR libs + +EASY-TO-COMPLY LICENSE + +I make my libraries public domain. You don't have to. +But my goal in releasing stb-style libraries is to +reduce friction for potential users as much as +possible. That means: + + a. easy to build (what this file is mostly about) + b. easy to invoke (which requires good API design) + c. easy to deploy (which is about licensing) + +I choose to place all my libraries in the public +domain, abjuring copyright, rather than license +the libraries. This has some benefits and some +drawbacks. + +Any license which is "viral" to modifications +causes worries for lawyers, even if their programmers +aren't modifying it. + +Any license which requires crediting in documentation +adds friction which can add up. Valve used to have +a page with a list of all of these on their web site, +and it was insane, and obviously nobody ever looked +at it so why would you care whether your credit appeared +there? + +Permissive licenses like zlib and BSD license are +perfectly reasonable, but they are very wordy and +have only two benefits over public domain: legally-mandated +attribution and liability-control. I do not believe these +are worth the excessive verbosity and user-unfriendliness +these licenses induce, especially in the single-file +case where those licenses tend to be at the top of +the file, the first thing you see. (To the specific +points, I have had no trouble receiving attribution +for my libraries; liability in the face of no explicit +disclaimer of liability is an open question.) + +However, public domain has frictions of its own, because +public domain declarations aren't necessary recognized +in the USA and some other locations. For that reason, +I recommend a declaration along these lines: + +// This software is in the public domain. Where that dedication is not +// recognized, you are granted a perpetual, irrevocable license to copy +// and modify this file as you see fit. + +I typically place this declaration at the end of the initial +comment block of the file and just say 'public domain' +at the top. + +I have had people say they couldn't use one of my +libraries because it was only "public domain" and didn't +have the additional fallback clause, who asked if +I could dual-license it under a traditional license. + +My answer: they can create a derivative work by +modifying one character, and then license that however +they like. (Indeed, *adding* the zlib or BSD license +would be such a modification!) Unfortunately, their +lawyers reportedly didn't like that answer. :(