License for 4.4

[Peeter Vois]

Biju Chacko wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I think we should change the text of all GPL licensed components in XFCE 
> to GPL v2 only. This will allow us to move to GPL3 once we see a 
> consensus in the community to move to GPL3. Otherwise we will be 
> automatically switched when GPL3 is released.
>
> I don't want to get into a license flamewar, but in my opinion we should 
> only move to GPL3 when several other big projects have done so. I don't 
> think any of us know enough about it, but I think it would be safer to 
> go along with the majority of the community is doing.
>
> -- b
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>   
I am not lawyer but I think that this is no problem, if  we keep the 
code "v2 or later" licensed we can do it forever. If v3 applies 
restrictions that v2 does not, then these restrictions do not apply to 
"v2 or later" licensed code. If v3 applies more freedom then this 
freedom applies to "v2 or later" licensed code too because distributor 
is allowed to release the code under "v3 or later" license without 
problems, but can not take away from us the rights to release the code 
under "v2 or later".

We should be afraid only about that v2 license will be called discarded 
and will not be protected by FSF anymore. Then we must protect this 
ourselves or go over to v3.

/Peeter