Re: replacing python.el

[Dave Love]

I seem to be repeating this to ever-expanding lists of addresses.

Glenn Morris <address@hidden> writes:

> You've got this backwards.
>
> Emacs includes python.el, written by Dave Love, about which there is
> no legal problem.

Indeed, and I don't understand what other problem there is with it,
other than maintenance.  Why does it need to be replaced with
python-mode.el, even if that was properly assigned?

The only other worthwhile feature I know of sort-of from python-mode.el
is related to something called pdbtrack (?).  My commentary explains
that part of the functionality already exists, and something more
general than the rest should be a general feature in GUD.  (The
Python-specifics are already there.)  It's not difficult to restructure
GUD -- or wasn't when I hacked it originally -- and it's not clean to
make an add-on, which is why it's not in python.el.  I know there isn't
interest in abstractions like that, but I didn't want to preempt a
possible change of opinion.

> python-mode.el is the alternative, which has several contributors
> including Andreas R. This has never been included in Emacs.

Right.  We'd have included (a significantly modified version of) it if
we'd been able to get the paperwork.  As far as I know, I was the last
person to try to sort that out after previous attempts.  The GNU
copyright.list shows I failed in Barry's case (through no fault of his
-- it needed paperwork from his employer, and I'm sure he wanted to
DTRT).  I think at least gerd and monnier worked on it previously, and
there's an assignment on file from the original author, which I don't
remember anything about.  We never addressed possible significant
contributions from others as far as I know, and this was over five years
ago.

[Skip Montanaro says his multiple attempts to assign copyright failed
due to the FSF office.  I don't know who asked for the papers, and I
advised telling rms about the problem, though I think the assignment
would only be useful for future contributions.]