Re: Why fewer contributors to GNU? They have to reveal identity and assign copyright

[Dmitry Alexandrov]

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> wrote:
> * gameonlinux@redchan.it <gameonlinux@redchan.it> [2019-11-04 12:56]:
>> Reasons fewer men contribute to GNU:
>> - Have to reveal identity.
>
> That is not quite so. In America country it is possible to use pen names.

Why is it specific to ‘America country’ (whatever it is)?

I thought, contributing to GNU does not require it, unless the subproject, you 
are sending patches to, have a strict copyright assignment policy, in which 
case FSF clerks indeed ask you to reveal you identity to them (and only to 
them, not publicly).  Am I wrong?

>> - Have to assign copyright (a submissive act).
>
> That is not submissive act but legal act and cooperation. It is necessary for 
> cases of legal enforcement where evidences have to be shown in courts of law.

What ‘it’?  The current all-or-nothing policy, where anyone who is going to 
contribute more than 15 lines or so have to undergo a paperwork, proved to be 
unnecessary overkill by the enforcement story of the most enforced free program 
so far — Linux®.

The other side of coin is that FSF does not encourage authors of GNU packages, 
that have not adopted this strict copyright assignment policy, to assign their 
copyright.

In other words, GNU software maintainers have to choose between loosing certain 
number of contributors or totally loosing legal enforceability — no middle 
option.

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