This project license is not open source.

[apotheon]

If the intent is to release this as open source software, the license needs to be change. It is effectively a proprietary, no-derivs and no-modification license with some additionally troubling restrictions. If being that restrictive is what's intended, just delete this issue.

If it's not intended, I recommend trading it out for a different license. Consider either the COIL or MIT/X11 License as alternatives, both of which are SPDX-listed licenses conforming to the Open Source Definition, Free Software Definition, Debian Free Software Guidelines, and Copyfree Standard Definition.

[darius]

Think of this as a little historical artifact from the early 90s offline world, most of it -- I forget how the license terms came about but I think it was some standard license of the time, insofar as anything was standard. If you really feel impeded from doing something you want to do, I'll look into it and make some helpful change, and maybe I'll get around to it even if you don't, but I don't really want to think about it. Gratified by your interest.

[apotheon]

My only use for it at this time would be reading it and playing with it on my own machine (which doesn't depend on the license), including it on a list of projects with copyfree licenses published on the Copyfree Initiative website (which does depend on the license), and maybe some day using it in some introductory or instructional materials for awk (which does depend on the license, but is not extremely likely at this time).

If any of those prompt you to change the license, great. If not, that's your choice. If you are curious about what license I'd most prefer, because I seem to be the only person who brought up licensing here, I'd choose the COIL, linked in my previous comment.