The Palimpsest License
======================

Version 1.0

PREAMBLE

This license accompanies the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) as a
philosophical framework for understanding the nature of software as a
palimpsest - a manuscript written over earlier, partially erased text.

All software is a palimpsest. Each line of code carries the traces of
those who came before: the ideas, the struggles, the discoveries, and
the shared knowledge of countless contributors across time and space.

PRINCIPLES

1. LAYERED HISTORY
   Software is never created in isolation. It builds upon layers of
   prior work - languages, libraries, patterns, and practices. We
   acknowledge and honor these layers.

2. VISIBLE TRACES
   Where possible, preserve the traces of prior contributions. Comments,
   commit history, attribution, and documentation serve as the visible
   record of collective authorship.

3. CONTINUOUS REWRITING
   Just as a palimpsest is rewritten, software evolves. This is natural
   and good. The act of modification is an act of continuation, not
   erasure.

4. SHARED SURFACE
   The medium on which we write - the computational substrate, the
   protocols, the shared standards - belongs to no one. We write upon
   a common surface.

5. FUTURE WRITERS
   Those who come after us will write upon our work. We build not for
   permanence but for transformation. Our code is meant to be read,
   modified, and improved.

OBLIGATIONS

In addition to the legal obligations of the MPL-2.0, we ask that you:

- Consider the impact of your modifications on the historical record
- Maintain meaningful commit messages and documentation
- Acknowledge significant prior contributions where reasonable
- Write code that invites future modification
- Treat the codebase as a shared creative endeavor

NON-BINDING

This Palimpsest License is a philosophical companion to the MPL-2.0.
It creates no additional legal obligations beyond those specified in
the MPL-2.0. It is an invitation to consider the deeper nature of
collaborative software development.

ATTRIBUTION

The Palimpsest concept as applied to software licensing was developed
by Hyperpolymath in 2025.

---

"We are all rewriting text that has been rewritten before,
 and will be rewritten again."
