Re: Software Licenced Under a Specific Version of GPL
On 31-Aug-01, 10:43 (CDT), Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es> wrote:
> On Fri, 31 Aug 2001, Andrew McMillan wrote:
> > To make it happen you should file a wishlist bug against the package which
> > provides the GPL, asking it to provide it as a versioned file and symlink
> > /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL to the most recent version.
>
> As of today, there is only one GPL file. In my opinion it's soon for that.
> However, if you insist that this has to be done now, then please get
> policy changed first. For example:
No, we change practice first, then policy. The file as to be there
before policy can tell other packages to use it. If we create
GPL2 and GPL->GPL2, then no package will be out of policy compliance (or
at no more so than before).
> "packages under `GPL or later' should refer to the latest GPL version
> which is always at [current location], packages under a specific version
> of GPL should refer to the exact license under /usr/share/common-licenses
> if it still exists, or include the complete text of the GPL version under
> which they are distributed if it does no longer exists"
I don't think we should remove any licenses from common-licenses. Even
if we can show that no current packages refer to the obsolete version,
we can't force people to upgrade from older packages, or deal with
external packages at all. So I'd object to the bit about "if it still
exists...".
Steve
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