#1010998 simh: Upstream license change conflicts with DFSG

Package:
simh
Source:
simh
Description:
Emulators for 33 different computers
Submitter:
Joan Touzet
Date:
2026-01-13 16:13:01 UTC
Severity:
important
Tags:
#1010998#5
Date:
2022-05-14 21:27:33 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

Upstream has added licensing information that is both inaccurate as well as now
violates the terms of the DFSG.

Specifically:

https://github.com/simh/simh/commit/ce2adce632e1a22e6d76d4bf726d6b863373c550

Discussion:

https://groups.io/g/simh/topic/new_license/91108560

If this package is to remain in debian, it will need to move to the non-free
section.

#1010998#10
Date:
2022-05-19 19:45:06 UTC
From:
To:
As an alternative, Bob Supnik's "classic" version continues to release -
version 2.12-2 just released 25 April 2022 - and would be an excellent
replacement. http://simh.trailing-edge.com/

Unfortunately, that version still must overcome the licensing issues
outlined in Debian bug #824883.

#1010998#15
Date:
2022-05-21 05:41:42 UTC
From:
To:
Control: forwarded -1 https://groups.io/g/simh/topic/new_license/91108560
Control: notfound -1 3.8.1-6.1
Control: found -1 3.8.12-1
...

The change isn't present in the version in Debian, fixing the versions.

https://github.com/simh/simh/commits/master/LICENSE.txt
https://github.com/simh/simh/tags

Debian doesn't even appear to use the GitHub version of simh:

https://sources.debian.org/src/simh/3.8.1-6.1/debian/watch/
https://sources.debian.org/src/simh/3.8.1-6.1/debian/copyright/

Or just not get updated or switch to a fork of simh that was made from
the commit just before the license change.

#1010998#34
Date:
2026-01-13 16:11:52 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

as per bug #1010998 the lastest upstream version is not DFSG
free any more.  The license file with the non-free section does
not exist in this release

https://github.com/simh/simh/releases/tag/v3.11-1

but it should be verified that the problematic text is not
specified in single files.  The upstream issue which has lead
to the problematic LICENSE.txt file

https://github.com/simh/simh/issues/1028

is talking about just summarising licenses of single files.
So inspecting the code would be needed as well.  Maybe its
safer to follow the hint in this issue

https://github.com/simh/simh/issues/1163

and rather package the free fork at

https://github.com/open-simh/simh/

Kind regards
     Andreas.