On Feb 15, 2008 4:47 PM, Nick Roberts <nickrob@snap.net.nz> wrote:

 > hi, all.  sorry it's taken me a while to join this conversation.  i
 > adamantly want to see the pdbtrack functionality, which was integrated
 > to python-mode.el, included in the python mode delivered with emacs.
 > at one point it was integrated with the version of python.el that was
 > supposed to be included with the release of emacs 22.  i was perplexed
 > and dismayed to discover, however, that somehow changed at the last
 > moment, and it still hasn't been rectified.

I never installed that patch because I was uncertain about the authorship
of the parts of python-mode.el that I was taking from.

i believe that any changes to the code for pdb tracking functionality were trivial, and that my copyright assignment would be sufficient for that part of it.  i can check with barry, who incorporated the stand-alone code i had written (as "pdbtrack.el") into python-mode.el
 
> it looks like the reason for the separate implementation of python.el
 > had something to do with problems getting copyright assignments.  i
 > think that could be settled, and probably could help with that, but
 > now we have two separate python mode implementations, and i don't know
 > how to resolve the choice between them.
 >
 > in any case, i *do* want to see pdb tracking included in whichever.
 > as the author of the feature, i should be able to authorize its use
 > wherever, and am frustrated with the twisty turns of events that have
 > prevented that.  while my time is limited for reimplementing it, i can
 > probably help with that and/or with seeing about getting license
 > assignment for python-mode.el.

I still have a local copy of the patch updated to the trunk and could install
it now if instructed to do so.

There appear to be two options:

1) Install my patch in python.el which may in reality only involve your
  contribution to python-mode.el and may not require other signatures.

2) Replace python.el with a modified python-mode.el which would require
  more signatures (Barry Warsaw, Skip Montanero?) and more work.

it sounds like you have done some substantial comparison between the two implementations of python-mode, at least when you were working on the patches.  can you characterize the differences between the two?  i never tried python.el very far, because it lacked pdb tracking - but i've always been favorably impressed with python-mode.el, and would be expect it to offer a good basis to work from.

i'm planning to contact barry and skip to see about copyright assignments - would that help?  would you be willing to revisit your patches and bring them up to date, if clearance for python-mode.el became possible?
 
--
Nick                                           http://www.inet.net.nz/~nickrob

--
ken
http://myriadicity.net