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Re: Software Licenced Under a Specific Version of GPL



>>"Antti-Juhani" == Antti-Juhani Kaijanaho <gaia@iki.fi> writes:

 Antti-Juhani> On 20010830T114438-0500, Manoj Srivastava wrote:
 >> Flawed assumption.  I think you do Debian and the policy group
 >> a disservice by claiming that we shall, in the future, have such
 >> little regard for copyrights and installed bases.

 Antti-Juhani> You are being unfair. Most GPL software are licensed
 Antti-Juhani> with version 2, or at your option, any later version.
 Antti-Juhani> So, for those, updating the GPL filename to refer to
 Antti-Juhani> GPLv3 would not be a far-off idea.

	Yes, it would, since we would be violating the terms of the
 packages that do _not_ want later versions; and if people in charge
 of policy when GPL v3 comes out do not take care of this, they shall
 be screwing up. 

	I, however, have full faith in our succesors, and I am not
 going to assume they shall just follow the masses and the hell with
 the details philosophy. 

 >> So, GPL is likely to remain, and refer to a version 2 licence,
 >> for a long time, until all packages are changed. 

 Antti-Juhani> I don't think so - look at what we did to LGPL.

	Point taken. We4 did screw up, unless someone already has
 taken steps to look at the LGPL licences and fix all those who did
 not want later versions. Are you sure this step was not taken? Can
 you point me to any instances where the symlink causes us to mis
 represent any package? 

 >> Violating policy by including the full contents of the common
 >> license on the assumption that future developers are going to screw
 >> up is not a good idea.

 Antti-Juhani> It is you who thinks future developers would screw up
 Antti-Juhani> if they did what Ari fears.

	If they do what Ari fears, it shall be a screw up -- we
 should not mis represent licenses, and we should not point people to
 licenses that do not conform to what the upstream author intends the
 license to be. Are you implying that sdhall not be a screw up?

 Antti-Juhani> IMHO the best thing would be to introduce the GPL-2
 Antti-Juhani> symlink now, and not in some far-off point in the
 Antti-Juhani> future.

	Please file a wish list bug against the relevant package.

	manoj
-- 
 Whether in the village or the forest, whether on high ground or low,
 wherever the enlightened live, that is a delightful spot. 98
Manoj Srivastava   <srivasta@debian.org>  <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
1024R/C7261095 print CB D9 F4 12 68 07 E4 05  CC 2D 27 12 1D F5 E8 6E
1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B  924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C



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