Update License

[ekluzek]

We need to update the license from the GPL license to a license that we'll be able to release mizuRoute with CESM3.0. This will also require changes to the code.

[ekluzek]

In the CSEG meeting today, it was mentioned that UCAR legal would like us to move to: Apache-2.0, MIT or BSD3

[ekluzek]

There's also a copyright on this file:

docs/source/conf.py

That should be changed to copyright UCAR.

[ekluzek]

Note the work that CVMIX is doing in this space:

https://github.com/CVMix/CVMix-src/pull/103

In that issue they asked permission to change the license from the contributors. We have 8 contributors (see below), so should do something similar here:

https://github.com/ESCOMP/mizuRoute/graphs/contributors

[ekluzek]

OK, so CVMIX is almost done with their process, so we'll do something similar. Opening a PR with the license change, ask contributors to approve the PR as their signal they approve the change, and then tag the code with the change at that point as v3.0.0. Hopefully, we'll hear back from everyone and be able to move forward. But, it might take some time to get everyone's approval.

[ekluzek]

@ShervanGharari @bartnijssen @Ivanderkelen @wknoben we wanted to bring your attention to this issue. We need to change the license from GPL to Apache-2.0. We'll need permission from each of you to do this. If that just sounds fine to you -- please let us know. Or if you're not sure and have questions please bring them up. The strict process is listed at the top, but the approval part are the following scenarios:

1. Everyone is OK with this and we just move forward
2. People have questions or concerns, and we discuss them as needed
3. If needed we'll assign a deadline to hear back from contributors and with no communication we'll move forward after that deadline
4. Somebody replies to say they do not approve of the license change -- this will be handled on a case-by-case basis. We will not apply a license you disapprove of to a model that contains code you wrote, but we then will need to figure something out. (Options that come to mind: we can discuss a different license or we can figure out how to remove your contributions from the code prior to applying the new license.) I'm sure we can come up with other possibilities as well, but hopefully that won't be necessary.

After this is worked out then the process in github is:

1. Create a PR with the actual proposed changes
2. Have everyone approve the PR
3. We make sure UCAR legal is good with the license update we are doing
4. Bring the PR with the license change in
5. Tag the resulting code as v3.0.0

[ShervanGharari]

@ekluzek Thank you, Erik. This is more than fine with me — you have my full approval. Please let me know if there are any steps I should take regarding the license change.

[wknoben]

@ekluzek Hi Erik, this is fine with me, no objections. Let me know when the specific PR needs to be approved.

[Ivanderkelen]

@ekluzek Thanks, also from my side green light for the license change.

[bartnijssen]

@ekluzek : Fine with me as well. No objections.

[ekluzek]

Awesome. We heard back from everyone then! Thanks so much everyone!

So we'll start moving forward with this and ask for the formal approval in the PR we make for the change.

[ekluzek]

OK, I removed the LLVM exception stuff from advice in CSEG, and I've asked the UCAR lawyer to approve. Then we'll do the next step.