all: delete AUTHORS, CONTRIBUTORS files

[rsc]

In 2009, Google's open-source lawyers required us to create the AUTHORS file to define "The Go Authors".

Re-reviewing our repos now in 2022, the open-source lawyers are comfortable with source control history serving that purpose instead, meaning that we are permitted to delete the AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS files from all the repos. I intend to do exactly that, which will let us close #12042 once and for all.

[mvdan]

Out of curiosity, what about source archives where the source control history is missing? Are we OK with those not shipping with a definition of "The Go Authors"?

[rsc]

Legally speaking, yes, we are okay with that (that is, Google's lawyers tell me we are). The details of who owns what for copyright purposes are entirely independent of what the AUTHORS file says. Also we haven't even updated the AUTHORS file regularly since around Go 1.11 - see the top of https://tip.golang.org/AUTHORS.

https://google.github.io/opencasebook/authorship/ has a law school-style casebook about copyright authorship for anyone who is interested in a more in-depth introduction to the legal landscape. (And https://google.github.io/opencasebook/ has some other topics too.)

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418916 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419074 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418900 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419094 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418917 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419095 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419096 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419097 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419099 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418918 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419114 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418919 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418920 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418903 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418921 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419101 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419104 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418922 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418926 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418925 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419105 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418923 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418929 mentions this issue: A+C: delete AUTHORS and CONTRIBUTORS

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418930 mentions this issue: all: remove references to AUTHORS, CONTRIBUTORS files

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/419075 mentions this issue: cmd/updatecontrib: delete

[rsc]

Done.

[nightlyone]

@rsc That is a very sad move.

Now it becomes much harder to prove you did contributions in the past. Instead of sending a link you now have to ask your future employer to run a shell script on his windows(?) machine to prove your contribution. Oh and existing links in existing reference documents probably just broke.

It also makes it even harder to prove that this contribution was done by you and not someone else after you loose access to your company mail, google closes gmail (not unlikely given past product decisions) or loose access to your university mail.

The previous authors/contributors file allowed adding additional emails for an author/contributor after job changes, company mergers/acquisitions, re-branding, change of your free mail provider etc.

All that is lost for the benefit of one script-run less every 3-6 months and a few hours of odd changes every 3-6 months.

Are you sure benefits and costs for the projects and contributors are well weighted here?

Would you at least consider to provide the same information pre-aggregated under a permanent website link out of respect for your previous contributors?

[gopherbot]

Change https://go.dev/cl/418932 mentions this issue: _content: add AUTHORS page, and CONTRIBUTORS redirect

[rsc]

Thanks for pointing out the broken links. I have created a new page in https://go.dev/cl/418932. I don't follow about the asking future employers to run a shell script. There are plenty of ways to look at the Git commit history online. I linked how to do it from Gerrit in the new AUTHORS page.

[proggga]

Totally agree with nightlyone, sad move. Also helps you to prove that you are helping community + helps in interview

[rsc]

@progga, did you see the page I added at https://go.dev/AUTHORS and in particular the sample search query? I think that should serve the same purposes.

[AlekSi]

Another option is to use GitHub:

• https://github.com/golang/go/graphs/contributors
• https://github.com/golang/go/commits?author=proggga
• https://github.com/golang/go/commits?author=nightlyone