Re: lisp/url/url-https.el

[David Kastrup]

Richard Stallman <address@hidden> writes:

>     The file lisp/url/url-https.el doesn't do anything useful, it
>     seems, if ssl.el isn't installed (or if OpenSSL isn't
>     installed).
> 
> We have to delete that file, I think, since it is crypto code.

I would not call it "crypto code" since it does not do encryption.
Not as far as I can see.  It is just an interface to such code.  As
long as the code itself is not distributed with Emacs, I don't think
that Emacs should be affected legally.

> (It should not have been on savannah at all.)  tls.el has to be
> deleted too, I'm sad to say.
> 
> There are files in Gnus that also have to go.
> 
> Exporting crypto code from the US is no longer forbidden, but the US
> government claims to impose restrictions on people who obtain copies
> overseas and then redistribute them to certain places.  For this
> reason, all GNU crypto code should be developed and released from
> outside the US, still.

But the code in question does not do encryption, I think.  Are you
really sure that it would fall under such terms?  Perhaps one should
check with a lawyer.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum