Re: update-copyright request and patch...

[Jim Meyering]

Jim Meyering wrote:
> Joel Brobecker wrote:
>>> > Yep, this is what we did for this year. I just want to go one step
>>> > further and just collapse all years into one single range, based on
>>> > the fact that I have verified that we have made significant changes
>>> > to at least one file each year since 1986.
>>>
>>> I have already done this for some files in Libidn, based on the
>>> observation that the earlier omissions were mistakes and that the
>>> copyright year should have been bumped on every file because there was a
>>> release every year.  If this is illegal or bad practice, it would be
>>> useful if you could share your response from the FSF.
>>
>> For everyone's benefit, the FSF confirmed that it is fine to do so
>> (case [gnu.org #719834]).
>
> Thanks.  Here's an adjusted version of update-copyright that
> implements that.

That didn't mention justification.
I've adjusted the log and ChangeLog (a hassle to have to do that
in two places).

+2012-01-27  Jim Meyering  <address@hidden>
+
+       update-copyright: accept new option: UPDATE_COPYRIGHT_USE_INTERVALS=2
+       * build-aux/update-copyright: When UPDATE_COPYRIGHT_USE_INTERVALS=2,
+       convert a sequence with gaps to the minimal containing range.
+       For example, convert 2000, 2004-2007, 2009 to 2000-2009.
+       * tests/test-update-copyright.sh: Test for this.
+       The FSF confirmed it is ok to do this, assuming there is at
+       least one significant change per year in the affected range:
+       http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.gnulib.bugs/29554/focus=29860