Re: Loading a package applies automatically to future sessions?

[George Plymale II]

> > Also, I am legally under-age to sign any such copyright waivers.

> Since it's the second time this issue shows up, I finally asked the
> copyright clerk at the FSF and he says that it works as follows:

>     If the person is under 18 years old their parent needs to also sign
>     the contract.  The biggest sticking point is that the assignment is
>     only valid up until that person's 18th birthday.

> > So I couldn't do it even if I wanted to.

> Apparently you could, but it's kind of a pain, indeed.

Yes, that is certainly a pain to say the least. In some cases it makes
contribution an impossibility.

> I also find it fruitless/useless/annoying, but for having tried to fight
> it, I know that it's just as fruitless trying to change Richard's mind
> about it.

> And I find it very hard to imagine how signing such paperwork for one's
> Emacs code could harm one, so I sometimes get stuck this way between
> Richard who stubbornly wants copyright paperwork and the contributor who
> stubbornly refuses to sign it.

> Both positions are only "a matter of principle" and are fruitless.

I sympathize with your difficulties in this regard. Honestly, I wouldn't
have much of a problem contributing code which would be licensed under
the GPL if the paperwork were not involved. I still think the GPL is
too problematic and restrictive, but to each his own.

This paperwork is really just over-the-top and it's not right to force
someone to give you the rights to their code while in the same breath
talking about freedom. This kind of stuff doesn't encourage any openness
or "hacker culture." It just makes people shy away from the project. I
guess all of that is a matter of principle on my part, but aside from
that I also do not want to encourage the FSF's continuation of this
policy by signing the papers (which I still cannot anyway).

Anyhow, happy hacking to you as well.

I'd rather get back on the topic of your patch now that we've gotten
this issue out of the way. Do you need any more feedback or assistance
in solving the bugs that I mentioned?

Thanks,
- George Plymale II