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From: Kyle Jones <kyle_jones@wonderworks.com>
To: xemacs-beta@xemacs.org
Subject: xemacs "flavours" of packages
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David Moore writes:
 > What is our policy with making XEmacs specific changes to
 > packages?  For example, if we added defcustom's to efs (and
 > no efs maintainer was on the list) is there a mechanism in
 > place to get that information back to the maintainer?  If
 > said maintainer has disappeared off the face of the earth,
 > how should we change the version number?  Clearly, we should
 > change the version number, but how?  And is a change in
 > version number being enforced?

If the maintainer is gone, should we include a package?  My opinion
"no."  Somebody has to fix the bugs.  There will always be bugs.
Expecting the C code caretaker to take on this added burden should
be viewed by said caretaker as a deathtrap.  Package system to the
rescue!  If a package stops working with some future version of
XEmacs we simply remove it from the official package tree.  End of
problem.  Yah, some people will yell, but unless they step forward
and take responsibility they can keep right on yelling.

Do we change the version number?  For behavioral changes, yes.
For just changing defvar's to defcustom, no.  The GPL requires
that any modifications by third parties be annoted; we should
make sure we do that via prominent code comments.  Try to get
the author to accept any changes if they are still alive and
active, lest we blindside and enrage them.  If they don't like
the change, rename the package to something else if we've just
gotta have it.  The latter should be rare.

How do we change the version number?  Jamie used to add a .L to
the the version string in his hacked VM releases.  This worked
well enough for me, as I could differentiate the bug reports.
And I only hated him a little bit for doing that.  So I'd suggest
adding a dot plus an XE and some digits.

