Contributed code, etc. (was [Maxima] Teaching differential equations with Maxima)

--- Stavros Macrakis <stavros.macrakis@verizon.net> wrote:
> 
> I have a mailing list of alumni of the Macsyma group -- not just
> people who worked at M.I.T., at Symbolics, at Macsyma, Inc., but also

> users who contributed code.
> 
> I would be happy to ask them if they have any code we can use.  Of
> course, we'd want them to assure us that the code is not encumbered
> by copyright.  What do you think of the following draft letter:
> 
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> 
> Dear Colleague,
> 
> Maxima is the free, GPL-licensed descendant of DOE Macsyma (more info
> below).
> 
> If you have any Lisp or Macsyma code you would like to contribute to
> the project, we'd be very grateful.  Of course, we can only accept 
> code which belongs to you, which is in the public domain, or which is
> under a free software license.  We cannot accept code which is 
> copyrighted by Macsyma, Inc. or Symbolics -- even if it does not have

> a MacsymaInc/Symbolics copyright notice: if it was written for them, 
> or by someone who worked for them at the time, we have to presume
that 
> they hold the copyright.

Minor point here - I think there were some cases, such as Richard's TeX
work, which people allowed Macsyma to use but didn't transfer all
rights to.  I think that should be OK - unless they were paid for their
work as employees or actually transfered the rights to Macsyma.  What
do you think?  (If you disagree then your approach wins - the
conservative approach is of course fine.)

> In particular, it would be nice to recover some of the missing
> user-contributed Share libraries (stensr, trgsum, cgamma, series,
> asymp, asympa, difsol, ndiffq, polsol, prrid).

Sans the one mentioned that is in share already that looks OK.  Might
want to say "recover as many of the missing user-contributed share
libraries as possible."

> If you do have code like this, please email it to me, with a
> statement of why you believe it is legit (e.g. you wrote it in 1980).
> 
>      Stavros
 
Maybe it would be better to say "with a description of what it is and
the circumstances under which it was written.  We need enough
information to be sure it is legal for us to include the code in
Maxima, and also that the person contributing the code has the right to
do so."  But again that is a minor point.

Might want to add on - "If anyone has Macsyma documentation they have
written or is not copyright by one of the commercial companies,
contribution of that documentation would also be very much
appreciated."
 
Rest looks good.

Thanks Stavros! Don't mind my nitpicking.  It's past two in the morning
here so if I sound weird ignore me :-).

CY

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