Update README & COPYING

This patch contains a re-write of MediaWiki's README. The current README has
been obsoleted by the passage of time, and its current patchwork of contents
is not especially helpful or flattering to MediaWiki. GitHub automatically
renders a repository's README below its file listings; GitHub's popularity
thus means that this file is a lot more visible than it once was and is more
likely to shape a prospective developer's first impression of MediaWiki as a
software platform.

The re-write was conducted on-wiki, at <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/README>,
and advertised on wikitech-l. Not much time has passed since the announcement,
but even so the updated README is already considerably better, and there's no
reason not to continue synchronizing changes from the wiki page on an ongoing
basis, so the editorial work on MediaWiki.org need not stop as a consequence of
this change being merged.

This patch also includes an update to COPYING, incorporating legal text that
has been removed from the README, and adding some more information about
licensing. These changes include:

- changed URL from GPL (unspecified version, pointing currently to v3)
  to GPL v2, to match the text
- removed statement that the Foundation does not hold any rights in
  the codebase, as it may in some cases have rights through
  contractors
- added note about looking for information in individual components
- removed incorrect CC information about Sajax (which appears to be
  BSD-licensed, according to its file header in skins/common/ajax.js
- rephrased the CC license information to make more clear and precise

Bug: 50552
Change-Id: Iff7df2567bd90c136ef81fb8dbe7b6d4408be75f

diff --git a/COPYING b/COPYING
index 019694a..c3bed28 100644 (file)
--- a/COPYING
+++ b/COPYING
@@ -1,3 +1,41 @@
+== License and copyright information ==
+
+=== License ===
+
+MediaWiki is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License,
+version 2 or later. Derivative works and later versions of the code must be
+free software licensed under the same or a compatible license. This includes
+"extensions" that use MediaWiki functions or variables; see
+http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins for details.
+
+For the full text of version 2 of the license, see
+https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html or '''GNU General Public License'''
+below.
+
+=== Copyright owners ===
+
+MediaWiki contributors, including those listed in the CREDITS file, hold the
+copyright to this work.
+
+=== Additional license information ===
+
+Some components of MediaWiki imported from other projects may be under other
+Free and Open Source, or Free Culture, licenses. Specific details of their
+licensing information can be found in those components.
+
+Sections of code written exclusively by Lee Crocker or Erik Moeller are also
+released into the public domain, which does not impair the obligations of users
+under the GPL for use of the whole code or other sections thereof.
+
+MediaWiki uses the following Creative Commons icons to illustrate links to the
+CC licenses:
+
+* skins/common/images/cc-by-nc-sa.png
+* skins/common/images/cc-by-sa.png
+
+These icons are trademarked, and used subject to the CC trademark license,
+available at http://creativecommons.org/policies#trademark
+
 == GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE ==
 
 Version 2, June 1991

diff --git a/README b/README
index c9ce5db..7571fc3 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -1,122 +1,33 @@
-For system requirements, installation and upgrade details, see the files
-RELEASE-NOTES, INSTALL, and UPGRADE.
-
 == MediaWiki ==
 
-MediaWiki is the software used for Wikipedia [http://www.wikipedia.org/] and the
-other Wikimedia Foundation websites. Compared to other wikis, it has an
-excellent range of features and support for high-traffic websites using
-multiple servers (Wikimedia sites peak in the 100K+ requests per second range
-as of January 2012).
-
-While quite usable on smaller sites, you may find you have to "roll your own"
-local documentation, and some aspects of configuration may seem overcomplicated
-because MediaWiki is primarily targeted as an in-house tool.
-
-The MediaWiki software was written by:
-* Lee Daniel Crocker
-* Magnus Manske
-* Jan Hidders
-* Brion Vibber
-* Axel Boldt
-* Geoffrey T. Dairiki
-* Tomasz Wegrzanowski
-* Erik Moeller
-* Tim Starling
-* Gabriel Wicke
-* Antoine Musso
-* Evan Prodromou
-* Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
-* Niklas Laxström
-* Domas Mituzas
-* Rob Church
-* Jens Frank
-* Yuri Astrakhan
-* Aryeh Gregor
-* Aaron Schulz
-* Andrew Garrett
-* Raimond Spekking
-* Alexandre Emsenhuber
-* Siebrand Mazeland
-* Chad Horohoe
-* Roan Kattouw
-* Trevor Pascal
-* Bryan Tong Minh
-* Sam Reed
-* Victor Vasiliev
-* Rotem Liss
-* Platonides
-* Many others (view CREDITS for a more complete list)
-
-The contributors hold the copyright to this work, and it is licensed under the
-terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later (see
-http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl.html). Derivative works and later
-versions of the code must be free software licensed under the same or a
-compatible license. This includes "extensions" that use MediaWiki functions or
-variables; see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins for
-details.
-
-The Wikimedia Foundation currently has no legal rights to the software.
-
-Sections of code written exclusively by Lee Crocker or Erik Moeller are also
-released into the public domain, which does not impair the obligations of users
-under the GPL for use of the whole code or other sections thereof.
-
-MediaWiki makes use of the Sajax Toolkit by modernmethod,
-http://www.modernmethod.com/sajax/ which has the following license:
-
-       'This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution
-       License. To view a copy of this license, visit
-       http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ or send a letter
-       to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way,
-       Stanford, California 94305, USA.'
-
-MediaWiki use Creative Commons license marks to points to their online
-licenses. This content is trademarked and used under a specific license
-available at http://creativecommons.org/policies#trademark
-The restricted content is:
-
-* skins/common/images/cc-by-nc-sa.png
-* skins/common/images/cc-by-sa.png
-
-Many thanks to the Wikimedia regulars for testing and suggestions.
-
-The official website for MediaWiki is located at:
+MediaWiki is a popular and free, open-source wiki software package written in
+PHP. It serves as the platform for Wikipedia and its sister projects, which
+deliver content in over 280 languages to more than half a billion people each
+month. MediaWiki's reliability and robust feature set have earned it a large
+and vibrant community of third-party users and developers.
 
-       http://www.mediawiki.org/
+MediaWiki is:
 
-The code is currently maintained in a Git repository at
-gerrit.wikimedia.org. See http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Git for details.
+* feature-rich and extensible, both on-wiki and with over 2,000 extensions;
+* scalable and suitable for both small and large sites;
+* available in your language; and
+* simple to install, working on most hardware/software combinations.
 
-Please report bugs and make feature requests in our Bugzilla system:
-
-* https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/
-
-Documentation and discussion on new features may be found at:
-
-* http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:FAQ
-* http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Documentation
-* http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Development
-
-Extensions are listed at:
-
-* http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Category:Extensions
-
-If you are setting up your own wiki based on this software, it is highly
-recommended that you subscribe to mediawiki-announce:
-
-* https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce
-
-The mailing list is very low volume, and is intended primarily for announcements
-of new versions, bug fixes, and security issues.
-
-A higher volume support mailing list can be found at:
-
-* https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
-
-Developer discussion takes place at:
-
-* https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l
+For system requirements, installation, and upgrade details, see the files
+RELEASE-NOTES, INSTALL, and UPGRADE.
 
-There is also a development and support channel #mediawiki on irc.freenode.net,
-and an unoffical support forum at www.mwusers.com.
+* Ready to get started?
+  https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Download
+* Looking for the technical manual?
+  https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Contents
+* Seeking help from a person?
+  https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Communication
+* Looking to file a bug report or a feature request?
+  https://bugs.mediawiki.org/
+* Interested in helping out?
+  https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/How_to_contribute
+
+MediaWiki is the result of global collaboration and cooperation. The CREDITS
+file lists technical contributors to the project. The COPYING file explains
+MediaWiki's copyright and license (GNU General Public License, version 2 or
+later). Many thanks to the Wikimedia regulars for testing and suggestions.