| <!doctype html> |
| <html> |
| <title>npm-disputes</title> |
| <meta http-equiv="content-type" value="text/html;utf-8"> |
| <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../static/style.css"> |
| <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.npmjs.org/doc/misc/npm-disputes.html"> |
| <script async=true src="../../static/toc.js"></script> |
| |
| <body> |
| <div id="wrapper"> |
| |
| <h1><a href="../misc/npm-disputes.html">npm-disputes</a></h1> <p>Handling Module Name Disputes</p> |
| <h2 id="synopsis">SYNOPSIS</h2> |
| <ol> |
| <li>Get the author email with <code>npm owner ls <pkgname></code></li> |
| <li>Email the author, CC <a href="mailto:support@npmjs.com">support@npmjs.com</a></li> |
| <li>After a few weeks, if there's no resolution, we'll sort it out.</li> |
| </ol> |
| <p>Don't squat on package names. Publish code or move out of the way.</p> |
| <h2 id="description">DESCRIPTION</h2> |
| <p>There sometimes arise cases where a user publishes a module, and then |
| later, some other user wants to use that name. Here are some common |
| ways that happens (each of these is based on actual events.)</p> |
| <ol> |
| <li>Joe writes a JavaScript module <code>foo</code>, which is not node-specific. |
| Joe doesn't use node at all. Bob wants to use <code>foo</code> in node, so he |
| wraps it in an npm module. Some time later, Joe starts using node, |
| and wants to take over management of his program.</li> |
| <li>Bob writes an npm module <code>foo</code>, and publishes it. Perhaps much |
| later, Joe finds a bug in <code>foo</code>, and fixes it. He sends a pull |
| request to Bob, but Bob doesn't have the time to deal with it, |
| because he has a new job and a new baby and is focused on his new |
| erlang project, and kind of not involved with node any more. Joe |
| would like to publish a new <code>foo</code>, but can't, because the name is |
| taken.</li> |
| <li>Bob writes a 10-line flow-control library, and calls it <code>foo</code>, and |
| publishes it to the npm registry. Being a simple little thing, it |
| never really has to be updated. Joe works for Foo Inc, the makers |
| of the critically acclaimed and widely-marketed <code>foo</code> JavaScript |
| toolkit framework. They publish it to npm as <code>foojs</code>, but people are |
| routinely confused when <code>npm install foo</code> is some different thing.</li> |
| <li>Bob writes a parser for the widely-known <code>foo</code> file format, because |
| he needs it for work. Then, he gets a new job, and never updates the |
| prototype. Later on, Joe writes a much more complete <code>foo</code> parser, |
| but can't publish, because Bob's <code>foo</code> is in the way.</li> |
| </ol> |
| <p>The validity of Joe's claim in each situation can be debated. However, |
| Joe's appropriate course of action in each case is the same.</p> |
| <ol> |
| <li><code>npm owner ls foo</code>. This will tell Joe the email address of the |
| owner (Bob).</li> |
| <li>Joe emails Bob, explaining the situation <strong>as respectfully as |
| possible</strong>, and what he would like to do with the module name. He |
| adds the npm support staff <a href="mailto:support@npmjs.com">support@npmjs.com</a> to the CC list of |
| the email. Mention in the email that Bob can run <code>npm owner add |
| joe foo</code> to add Joe as an owner of the <code>foo</code> package.</li> |
| <li>After a reasonable amount of time, if Bob has not responded, or if |
| Bob and Joe can't come to any sort of resolution, email support |
| <a href="mailto:support@npmjs.com">support@npmjs.com</a> and we'll sort it out. ("Reasonable" is |
| usually at least 4 weeks, but extra time is allowed around common |
| holidays.)</li> |
| </ol> |
| <h2 id="reasoning">REASONING</h2> |
| <p>In almost every case so far, the parties involved have been able to reach |
| an amicable resolution without any major intervention. Most people |
| really do want to be reasonable, and are probably not even aware that |
| they're in your way.</p> |
| <p>Module ecosystems are most vibrant and powerful when they are as |
| self-directed as possible. If an admin one day deletes something you |
| had worked on, then that is going to make most people quite upset, |
| regardless of the justification. When humans solve their problems by |
| talking to other humans with respect, everyone has the chance to end up |
| feeling good about the interaction.</p> |
| <h2 id="exceptions">EXCEPTIONS</h2> |
| <p>Some things are not allowed, and will be removed without discussion if |
| they are brought to the attention of the npm registry admins, including |
| but not limited to:</p> |
| <ol> |
| <li>Malware (that is, a package designed to exploit or harm the machine on |
| which it is installed).</li> |
| <li>Violations of copyright or licenses (for example, cloning an |
| MIT-licensed program, and then removing or changing the copyright and |
| license statement).</li> |
| <li>Illegal content.</li> |
| <li>"Squatting" on a package name that you <em>plan</em> to use, but aren't |
| actually using. Sorry, I don't care how great the name is, or how |
| perfect a fit it is for the thing that someday might happen. If |
| someone wants to use it today, and you're just taking up space with |
| an empty tarball, you're going to be evicted.</li> |
| <li>Putting empty packages in the registry. Packages must have SOME |
| functionality. It can be silly, but it can't be <em>nothing</em>. (See |
| also: squatting.)</li> |
| <li>Doing weird things with the registry, like using it as your own |
| personal application database or otherwise putting non-packagey |
| things into it.</li> |
| </ol> |
| <p>If you see bad behavior like this, please report it right away.</p> |
| <h2 id="see-also">SEE ALSO</h2> |
| <ul> |
| <li><a href="../misc/npm-registry.html">npm-registry(7)</a></li> |
| <li><a href="../cli/npm-owner.html">npm-owner(1)</a></li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| </div> |
| |
| <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 id=npmlogo> |
| <tr><td style="width:180px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" colspan=18> </td></tr> |
| <tr><td rowspan=4 style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)"> </td><td style="width:40px;height:10px;background:#fff" colspan=4> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" rowspan=4> </td><td style="width:40px;height:10px;background:#fff" colspan=4> </td><td rowspan=4 style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)"> </td><td colspan=6 style="width:60px;height:10px;background:#fff"> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" rowspan=4> </td></tr> |
| <tr><td colspan=2 style="width:20px;height:30px;background:#fff" rowspan=3> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" rowspan=3> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:#fff" rowspan=3> </td><td style="width:20px;height:10px;background:#fff" rowspan=4 colspan=2> </td><td style="width:10px;height:20px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" rowspan=2> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:#fff" rowspan=3> </td><td style="width:20px;height:10px;background:#fff" rowspan=3 colspan=2> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" rowspan=3> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:#fff" rowspan=3> </td><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" rowspan=3> </td></tr> |
| <tr><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:#fff" rowspan=2> </td></tr> |
| <tr><td style="width:10px;height:10px;background:#fff"> </td></tr> |
| <tr><td style="width:60px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" colspan=6> </td><td colspan=10 style="width:10px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)"> </td></tr> |
| <tr><td colspan=5 style="width:50px;height:10px;background:#fff"> </td><td style="width:40px;height:10px;background:rgb(237,127,127)" colspan=4> </td><td style="width:90px;height:10px;background:#fff" colspan=9> </td></tr> |
| </table> |
| <p id="footer">npm-disputes — npm@2.15.8</p> |
| |
