Free tool release: convert diff to modification XML

[Minsk]

Writing the modification XML by hand was a royal pain, so I wrote a simple Perl script to convert GNU unified diffs to the required format. Rather than muck about with the grabby and unenforceable "agreement" that Lewis Media likes, it is under an MIT-style license.

As an example, the ZIP includes the shell script (bash, sorry, I hate DOS batch files) I used to build the KarmaUserMode package. My development environment consists of three directories: smf-1.1.rc2, which is my modified version; smf-1.1.rc2.orig, which is the original distribution; and UserKarmaMode, which contains the scripts and package files.

hxxp:wworks.ca/~cwolfe/Minsk-PatchToXml.tgz [nonactive]

Hopefully this will be useful to someone.

As it is possible that my distribution of a mod required that I use Lewis Media's license "Agreement", I will shortly destroy the copies upon which the mod was based. SMF "Agreement" clauses 4 and 5 are almost certainly unenforceable under both US and Canadian law: Copyright licenses can not add restrictions over and above local law. Seriously, either hire a competent lawyer or use a standard open-source license.

<edit>
With the obvious IANAL qualifier, if you intended Modifications to be distributable under arbitrary licenses you would need to explicitly grant permission for the <search> snippits to be duplicated. Under US law the snippits would be fine under Fair Use, but as Lewis Media and I are in Canada there is no such convenience AFAIK.

I should have tuned the rhetoric down a little more than I did, sorry about that.
</edit>

Chris

[Dannii]

You are allowed to write modifications under any licence, and even make them paid mods (but we won't host them of course).