@setfilename standards.info
@settitle GNU Coding Standards
@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
-@set lastupdate February 17, 2010
+@set lastupdate June 21, 2010
@c %**end of header
@dircategory GNU organization
@url{http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnustandards-commit}.
Archives are also available there.
-Corrections or suggestions for this document should be sent to
-@email{bug-standards@@gnu.org}. If you make a suggestion, please include a
-suggested new wording for it; our time is limited. We prefer a context
-diff to the @file{standards.texi} or @file{make-stds.texi} files, but if
-you don't have those files, please mail your suggestion anyway.
+@cindex @code{bug-standards@@gnu.org} email address
+@cindex Savannah repository for gnustandards
+@cindex gnustandards project repository
+Please send corrections or suggestions for this document to
+@email{bug-standards@@gnu.org}. If you make a suggestion, please
+include a suggested new wording for it, to help us consider the
+suggestion efficiently. We prefer a context diff to the Texinfo
+source, but if that's difficult for you, you can make a context diff
+for some other version of this document, or propose it in any way that
+makes it clear. The source repository for this document can be found
+at @url{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gnustandards}.
These standards cover the minimum of what is important when writing a
GNU package. Likely, the need for additional standards will come up.
@node Graphical Interfaces
@section Standards for Graphical Interfaces
@cindex graphical user interface
+@cindex interface styles
+@cindex user interface styles
-@cindex gtk+
+@cindex GTK+
When you write a program that provides a graphical user interface,
-please make it work with X Windows and the GTK+ toolkit unless the
-functionality specifically requires some alternative (for example,
-``displaying jpeg images while in console mode'').
+please make it work with the X Window System and the GTK+ toolkit
+unless the functionality specifically requires some alternative (for
+example, ``displaying jpeg images while in console mode'').
In addition, please provide a command-line interface to control the
functionality. (In many cases, the graphical user interface can be a
separate program which invokes the command-line program.) This is
so that the same jobs can be done from scripts.
-@cindex corba
-@cindex gnome
-Please also consider providing a CORBA interface (for use from GNOME), a
-library interface (for use from C), and perhaps a keyboard-driven
-console interface (for use by users from console mode). Once you are
-doing the work to provide the functionality and the graphical interface,
-these won't be much extra work.
+@cindex CORBA
+@cindex GNOME
+@cindex D-bus
+@cindex keyboard interface
+@cindex library interface
+Please also consider providing a D-bus interface for use from other
+running programs, such as within GNOME. (GNOME used to use CORBA
+for this, but that is being phased out.) In addition, consider
+providing a library interface (for use from C), and perhaps a
+keyboard-driven console interface (for use by users from console
+mode). Once you are doing the work to provide the functionality and
+the graphical interface, these won't be much extra work.
@node Command-Line Interfaces
@item LGPL
GNU Lesser General Public License, @url{http://www.gnu.org/@/licenses/@/lgpl.html}.
-@item GPL/Guile
-GNU GPL with the exception for Guile; for example, GPLv3+/Guile means
-the GNU GPL version 3 or later, with the extra exception for Guile.
-
@item GPL/Ada
GNU GPL with the exception for Ada.
The license for Python, @url{http://www.python.org/@/2.0.1/@/license.html}.
@item RBSD
-The revised (3-clause) BSD, compatible with the GNU GPL,
+The revised (3-clause) BSD, compatible with the GNU GPL,@*
@url{http://www.xfree86.org/@/3.3.6/@/COPYRIGHT2.html#5}.
@item X11
The simple non-copyleft license used for most versions of the X Window
-system, @url{http://www.xfree86.org/@/3.3.6/@/COPYRIGHT2.html#3}.
+System, @url{http://www.xfree86.org/@/3.3.6/@/COPYRIGHT2.html#3}.
@item Zlib
The license for Zlib, @url{http://www.gzip.org/@/zlib/@/zlib_license.html}.
By contrast, it is ok to refer to journal articles and textbooks in
the comments of a program for explanation of how it functions, even
though they are non-free. This is because we don't include such
-things in the GNU system even they are free---they are outside the
+things in the GNU system even if they are free---they are outside the
scope of what a software distribution needs to include.
Referring to a web site that describes or recommends a non-free
projects / pspp / blobdiff