XEmacs and GPLv3

[Kean Johnston]

> While GPLv3 is similar enough to GPLv2 that I would be unwilling to
> maintain a separate GPLv2 distribution, I definitely plan to tag the
> tree at the point where we switchover so that your code (and mine! I
> feel the same was except that I already know that I like v2 better
> than v3) will be easily accessible to people under GPLv2.  Would that
> satisfy you, too?
Yes indeed it would.

> If we do not make this change, it is practically infeasible to import
> changes from GNU Emacs or any GPLv3 packages.  AIUI, we can legally
> distribute individual files under "GPLv2 or later", and (as part of
> XEmacs) they automatically become v3 or later in some weird legal
> sense.  However, once XEmacs goes to "v3 or later" as a whole, that
> means that the "default" for contribution is "v3 or later", and we
> would need to check every contribution for (a) the actual license of
> the file and (b) whether the new contributor finds that acceptable.
I speak 3 languages, program in 6 and consider myself reasonably
smart but that whole paragraph just plain made my head hurt :)
It also makes me wonder why you want to make the default be V3.

But as regards to my code, I happily put it under a "V2 or later"
license. If you then need to revise that to be "v3 or later" for
inclusion in a v3-based XEmacs, thats fine by me too.

Kean