copyleft-next 0.3.1 reads:
>> +11. Later License Versions
>> + The Copyleft-Next Project may release new versions of copyleft-next,
>> + designated by a distinguishing version number ("Later Versions").
>> + Unless I explicitly remove the option of Distributing Covered Works
>> + under Later Versions, You may Distribute Covered Works under any Later
>> + Version.
Thomas Gleixner noted about it at 14:10 (PDT) on Monday:
> If I want to remove this option, then how do I express this with
a SPDX
> license identifier? Sigh!
I wrote earlier today:
Nevertheless, I am wondering, given that (a)
opting-out-of-auto-upgrade is
*so* GPL-specific, and (b) the auto-upgrade opt out has caused decades of
pain and woe throughout the GPL-using community (and for SPDX!), maybe
copyleft-next should, in fact, drop that clause entirely in future
versions. Discussion of that is likely not of interest to most folks on
this wide thread, so I'll pick up that conversation more narrowly just on
the copyleft-next list from here …
Regardless of the other issue about stewardship I raise below, I propose
that we immediately simply strike these words from copyleft-next:
>> + Unless I explicitly remove the option of Distributing
Covered Works
>> + under Later Versions
While I've long said that the GPL was a friendlier license than most because
it allowed everyone in the distribution chain from choosing between
“-or-later” vs. “-only”, we really have seen pain and woe because of the
future-version incompatibility in the GPL realm.
I don't think much can be gained from the configurability of opting out of
-or-later.
Also, opting out of auto-upgrade doesn't solve the biggest problem/advantage
that copyleft-next has with regard to license stewardship: there is no clear
license steward for copyleft-next (unless it's a SABFL situation for
Fontana?), and as such, “-or-later”-ness in any direction can indeed cause
uncertainty since there is no organizational certainty of a steward.
I am extremely skeptical of copyleft-next having an organizational license
steward — as I think one of copyleft-next's innovations is to remove the
politics and power of an organizational license steward away from copyleft.
However, I think we've never had a deep discussion about what that means
with regard to publication of later version, because “-or-later” clauses
(however they are configured) ultimately are a license steward question.
--
Bradley M. Kuhn - he/him
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https://sfconservancy.org/supporter/