The following may seem like a random feature request. But it does
relate to dependencies and backward compatibility. (And as long as
people are talking about enhancing, and/or layering something on top
of, the existing package system....)

Licenses.

Licenses determine what packages you may depend on.

And a change in licenses is potentially a significant form of backward
incompatibility.

1. I'd like packages to have meta-data about their license.

2. I'd like raco pkg to warn (by default; could be disabled) if missing.

3. Ideally there'd be some UID for each common license. Making it
simple to filter while searching for packages.

Even if there were UIDs for only a half dozen common ones -- such as
"none", "explicitly public domain", "LGPL", "GPL", and "MIT" -- that
would be helpful.

4. Really ideally? There'd also be some taxonomy/rules about
compatibility.  Making it simple to search for "packages I can use
when my project uses license X".  And also, to do a transitive check,
and point out any problems.

Even though the compatibility rules ought to have a big IANAL
disclaimer, it would be a helpful head-start on flagging things that
probably do or do not need AL's attention.

----

Do any other package systems do this?

Does someone else already maintain the IDs and rules in 3 and 4?

----

Maybe this is the sort of thing that could be handled "socially"? OTOH
we welcome assistance with other kinds of dependency checking.

Maybe this is a solution in search of a problem, today? OTOH as the
number of packages grows, and given how frequently people forget to
supply any license....

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