From: Alex Ionescu
The voting period is now over. Proposal B from Alex Ionescu is the winner:
/*
- PROJECT: ReactOS Kernel
- LICENSE: GPL - See COPYING in the top level directory
- FILE: ntoskrnl/ex/mutant.c
- PURPOSE: Manages the Kernel-Mode Implementation of Fast Mutex.
See /hal/halx86/generic/fmutex.c for the HAL
implementation.
- PROGRAMMERS: Alex Ionescu (alex@reactos.org)
Filip Navara (navaraf@reactos.org)*/
Sorry to keep on rambling about this, I know the vote is over and of course I accept the outcome, but the simple fact is that this header does not contain valid copyright notices. It lists the license (telling you what the copyright holders allow you to do with the work), it lists the programmers (who most probably are the copyright holders) but it does not contain valid copyright notices, which (according to the US Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#noc) should have the following form:
[begin quote] The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all the following three elements:
1. The symbol C (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright," or the abbreviation "Copr."; and
2. The year of first publication of the work. In the case of compilations or derivative works incorporating previously published material, the year date of first publication of the compilation or derivative work is sufficient. The year date may be omitted where a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or any useful article; and
3. The name of the owner of copyright in the work, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. [end quote]
So in our case something like
/* * COPYRIGHT: Copyright 2005 Alex Ionescu (alex@reactos.org) * Copyright 2005 Filip Navara (navaraf@reactos.org) */
The GPL says you can't remove an appropriate copyright notice, it says nothing about not removing a PROGRAMMERS line. It would be very rude to remove a PROGRAMMERS line, but not against the GPL.
GvG