RFH: GPLv3

[Basile STARYNKEVITCH]

Mark Mitchell wrote:
> The GCC SC is still discussing a few of the finer points of the
> transition to GPLv3.[...]

Good!

Here is my initial opinion on some point you asked; but please ignore it if it hurts somebody!

> 
> 3. After GCC 4.2.1 is released, we will renumber the branch to GCC 4.3.
>   What would have been GCC 4.2.2 will instead be GCC 4.3.3, to try to
> emphasize the GPLv3 switch.  The GCC mainline will then be GCC 4.4.

I find this surprising and a bit confusing! My first reaction (maybe not enough thought) is that most users don't care 
much about GCC source code, only about its functionality (making an executable from C or C++ source code). I am not very 
sure that a "minor" change on the GCC source code license should affect so significantly the version numbering.

Maybe it might be simpler for every one to keep the 4.2.2 number the same, while putting an emphasis in its README or 
release notes about license version change.

In other words, for GCC and most of its users, the main freedom of the 4 freedoms in GPL is the right to use the GCC 
compiler to compiles one's own stuff (even proprietary code). AFAIK this stays the same in GPLv2 and GPLv3.

Even if the license is changing, the ordinary user will very probably be able to mix (e.g. link) her object code 
compiled by gcc-4.2.1 and her object code compiled what you call gcc-4.3.3 and what I would prefer calling gcc-4.2.2

But I am not a lawyer, nor a free license guru, so feel free to ignore my initial feelings on this. Do what you feel 
best and a big thanks for your work!

Regards

-- 
Basile STARYNKEVITCH         http://starynkevitch.net/Basile/
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