NightStrike wrote: > What exactly is the downside to upgrading the license? I'm not > familiar with the implications of doing so.
As I understand it, the concern is that many distros use the 4.1 branch as the base for their main gcc system compiler. If suddenly the branch gets upgraded to GPLv3 that means they can no longer benefit from backported fixes that get put on the branch since distros also tend to have a number of local out-of-tree patches that are not necessarily GPLv3. The whole point of keeping an old release branch open would be specifically to make their lives easier, but instead you'd be multiplying the amount of work they'd have to do. Now they must choose between: a) ignoring all backports past the last GPLv2 point on the branch, b) separately reimplementing each backport as a GPLv2 patch, or c) auditing their whole local tree and deleting/reimplementing anything not GPLv3 compatible. It's an especially futile idea when the sole reason for doing the v3 update is to be able to cut a final release off the branch and then close it. But anyone that wants the code on the branch can easily just check it out or use a snapshot, there's no need to go to all the trouble just to make a release. Brian