QUICK-START.adoc

PMPL v1.0 Quick Start Guide

Get the Palimpsest-MPL License v1.0 working in your project in less than 5 minutes.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Get the License Text
  • Method A: Download from GitHub
  • Method B: Clone the repository
  • Method C: Copy from local clone
• Step 2: Add SPDX Headers
  • For code files (JavaScript, Rust, C, etc.)
  • For Python
  • For HTML/XML
  • For shell scripts
• Step 3: Optional - Add Exhibits
• Step 4: Update Your README
  • Markdown
  • AsciiDoc
• Step 5: Verify (Optional)
• You’re Done!
• Next Steps
• Common Patterns
  • Dual Licensing
  • Multi-Author Projects
  • Corporate Use
• Troubleshooting
  • "My package manager doesn’t recognize PMPL-1.0"
  • "Do I need to include the full exhibits?"
  • "Can I modify the license text?"
• Questions?

Step 1: Get the License Text

Choose one of these methods:

Method A: Download from GitHub

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license/main/v1.0/LICENSE.txt
mv LICENSE.txt LICENSE

Method B: Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license.git
cp palimpsest-license/v1.0/LICENSE.txt YOUR_PROJECT/LICENSE

Method C: Copy from local clone

If you already have this repo:

cp /path/to/palimpsest-license/v1.0/LICENSE.txt YOUR_PROJECT/LICENSE

Step 2: Add SPDX Headers

Add these two lines to the top of every source file:

For code files (JavaScript, Rust, C, etc.)

// SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Your Name <your.email@example.com>

For Python

# SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Your Name <your.email@example.com>

For HTML/XML

<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later -->
<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Your Name <your.email@example.com> -->

For shell scripts

#!/bin/bash
# SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Your Name <your.email@example.com>

Step 3: Optional - Add Exhibits

If you want the full exhibit texts in your project:

mkdir -p legal/exhibits
cp v1.0/exhibits/EXHIBIT-A-ETHICAL-USE.txt legal/exhibits/
cp v1.0/exhibits/EXHIBIT-B-QUANTUM-SAFE.txt legal/exhibits/

The exhibits are already incorporated by reference in the main LICENSE.txt, so this is optional.

Step 4: Update Your README

Add a license badge to your README:

Markdown

## License

This project is licensed under the Palimpsest-MPL License v1.0 - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.

SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later-or-later

AsciiDoc

== License

This project is licensed under the Palimpsest-MPL License v1.0 - see the link:LICENSE[] file for details.

SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later-or-later

Step 5: Verify (Optional)

If you want to verify your SPDX headers are correct:

# Install reuse tool
pip install reuse

# Check compliance
reuse lint

Or use the PMPL audit tool:

cd /path/to/palimpsest-license/tools/pmpl-audit
cargo build --release
./target/release/pmpl-audit YOUR_PROJECT

You’re Done!

Your project is now licensed under PMPL v1.0. 🎉

Next Steps

• Read the FAQ for common questions

• Check out Integration Guide for CI/CD setup

• Learn about PMPL tooling for signatures and provenance

• Join the community discussions

Common Patterns

Dual Licensing

You can dual-license with PMPL and another compatible license:

SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later-or-later

Multi-Author Projects

For files with multiple contributors:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2024 Alice Smith <alice@example.com>
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Bob Jones <bob@example.com>

Corporate Use

For corporate projects:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-1.0-or-later
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 YourCompany, Inc.

Troubleshooting

"My package manager doesn’t recognize PMPL-1.0"

Add a fallback:

{
  "license": "PMPL-1.0-or-later OR MPL-2.0"
}

Most package managers will accept this and understand MPL-2.0 (which is PMPL’s base license).

"Do I need to include the full exhibits?"

No. The LICENSE.txt already incorporates them by reference. Including them separately is optional and mainly useful for:

• Offline/air-gapped environments

• Educational purposes

• Making the full text searchable in your repo

"Can I modify the license text?"

No. The license text is immutable. You can:

• Add supplementary terms in a separate file (as long as they don’t contradict PMPL)

• Use dual licensing

• Propose changes upstream to the Palimpsest Stewardship Council

Questions?

• Open an issue: https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license/issues

• Start a discussion: https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license/discussions

• Read the full FAQ: FAQ.adoc