Robert Black wrote:
| I would therefore like to propose creating a file called /CONTRIBUTORS (or
| possibly /etc/CONTRIBUTORS) which must be included in all binary distributions,
| documentation and advertising (actually we might want to make an exception to
| the binary distribution rule for embeded systems). The format of the file will
| be such that it is easily parsable (for Easter Eggs). How much detail of
| peoples' contributions should be included is an issue for core.
| 
| Any comments?

Furthermore, copyright compliance can be automated to a certain extent.

Can we have a system that goes through each file in the source tree and:

- Determine the type of license applied to the file (BSD/GPL/CDL/other)
- For the given license type, extract the information required to comply
  with attribution requirements (or complain that a new license has been
  found, at which point manual intervention is required)
- Output all legalese required as a result of all this

Is such a system in use today?  Perhaps this can make a lot of the problems
go away.