New license request: Knuth-MMIXware [SPDX-Online-Tools]

[xsuchy]

1. License Name: Knuth-MMIXware 2. Short identifier: Knuth-MMIXware 3. License Author or steward: Unknown 4. Comments: Found in Fedora during License review in https://gitlab.com/fedora/legal/fedora-license-data/-/issues/226 Used in project mmixware 5. License Request Url: http://tools.spdx.org/app/license_requests/248 6. URL(s): https://gitlab.lrz.de/mmix/mmixware/-/blob/master/boilerplate.w 7. OSI Status: Unknown 8. Example Projects: https://gitlab.lrz.de/mmix/mmixware/

[swinslow]

The license text for this one is a bit odd, given the way it's formatted in the linked file, but I believe this would be the intended text:

copyright 1999 Donald E. Knuth

This file may be freely copied and distributed, provided that
no changes whatsoever are made. All users are asked to help keep
the MMIXware files consistent and ``uncorrupted,''
identical everywhere in the world. Changes are permissible only
if the modified file is given a new name, different from the names of
existing files in the MMIXware package,
and only if the modified file is clearly identified
as not being part of that package.
(The CWEB system has a ``change file'' facility by
which users can easily make minor alterations without modifying
the master source files in any way. Everybody is supposed to use
change files instead of changing the files.)
The author has tried his best to produce correct and useful programs,
in order to help promote computer science research,
but no warranty of any kind should be assumed.

[swinslow]

+1 to add, as a historical and generally permissive license. I had a brief pause at the "provided that no changes whatsoever are made" in the first sentence, but the subsequent lines make it clear (to me at least) that the intent is that changes can be made as long as it's given a different name and not implied to be part of the same package.

I might lean towards MMIXWare as the ID and "MMIXWare License" as the name, unless there's a specific reason to include Knuth's name in the identifier as well? I'm not familiar with this particular package so any context would be helpful!

[jlovejoy]

agreed, +1 to add as well

[ppisar]

What is a correct capitalization of this identifier? "MMIXWare" or "MMIXware" ("W" letter)?

I ask because there is a dissonance:

• Upstream speels it as "MMIXware" https://gitlab.lrz.de/mmix/mmixware/-/blob/master/README
• Winslow defined it as "MMIXWare"
• Git repository contains a file called "src/MMIXWare.xml"
• The file defined licenseId as "MMIXware"

I would like to unify the file name and licenseId. I only don't know which spelling to use. I would lean to upstream's spelling with lower case "w".

[xsuchy]

Good catch. I would prefer MMIXware to match upstream. If I get some thumbs up, I will prepare PR.

[jlovejoy]

indeed, good catch @ppisar !

yes, let's fix this and matching upstream sounds good. Thanks @xsuchy !