macros: Changes to 'master'

[Mark Kettenis]

> Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 06:29:13 -0700
> From: Dan Nicholson <dbn.lists at gmail.com>
>
> >> From: Gaetan Nadon <memsize at videotron.ca>
> >> Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:42:32 -0400
> >>
> >> > AC_LANG_DEFINES_PROVIDED seems to be only in newer, GPLv3, versions of au=
> >> toconf ... is there a way around this?
> >>
> >> I looked at it yesterday, using AC_LANG_SOURCE should be the right thing
> >> to do (some examples in the server). I can submit a patch later today if
> >> no one else beats me to it. You can reset macros a couple of commits
> >> back to get the build going.
> >>
> >> Not related to this problem. but can you elaborate on the issue of GPLv3
> >> of autoconf?
> >
> > Many people object to the version 3 of the GPL. Â This includes
> > companies like Apple, projects like FreeBSD and OpenBSD, the primary
> > author of the Linux kernel, etc. etc, each for their own reason. Â My
> > personal reason is that I don't understand the license anymore. Â GPLv2
> > is written in normal language; GPLv3 is full of lawyer speak.
> 
> This is just in the license of the build infrastructure, and doesn't
> extend to the code it's being used with. Do you object to installing
> newer GPLv3 versions of autoconf or are you worried it will infest the
> code?

The latter.  Or rather the fact that stuff covered by the GPLv3 will
be distributed as part of the Xorg source code, even if it is only
used for build infrastructure.  I was under the (wrong) assumption
that the generated configure script would be covered by the GPL as
well.  The config.guess and config.sub scripts are covered by the GPL,
which I assume to be GPLv3 in their latest incaration, but they have
an added exception.  The really paranoid amongst us might have issues
with that, but then it is trivial to write a replacement for these for
the limited set of systems those people are interested in.

I'm not too concerned with using GPLv3.  I understand enough of the
legalese to realise that most of the terms only apply once I start
distributing things.