Re: Emacs local variables sections in files; time-stamping

[Karl Berry]

    The minor advantage of having time stamps in the text

Minor?  How else can we have an accurate version number?  Doing it by
hand, or doing anything related to particular vc systems, proved
completely untenable for these widespread files.  That's the whole
reason we introduced the timestamps in the first place, as you know.

    it would make sense to remove the Local Variables sections
    from the copies installed via gnulib, 

I guess, as a compromise to avoid the "attack vector" (vastly
overstated, seems to me).

    since changes to the copies should not update those time stamps.

In principle, I am doubtful.  If someone (mistakenly or on purpose)
edits a downstream config.guess or whatever, it seems like a good thing
to me for the timestamp to change, so it won't be confused with the
upstream original.

k