[CPN] Can we implement the PhyloCode immediately?

[David Marjanovic]

> There are two elements in  David's suggestion: 1) Implement the Code
 > before completion of the Companion Volume, but mandate in the Code
 > that names published in the Companion Volume have priority over all
 > other names, regardless when published. 2) Implement the Code as
 > soon as the current round of amendments (meaning, I assume, those
 > related to the CBM species proposal) is finished.

I mean the species proposal, online publication (which I only brought up 
yesterday, in an effort to get everything out at once while I'm taking 
time for CPN matters and while I'm thinking about it), and of course any 
others that you may have in store. I expect that discussing all these 
may well take till January 1st anyway; it was deliberate that I phrased 
everything in an impulsive manner. :-)

> I have greater concerns about  the second element of David's
 > proposal--the specifics of when the code would be implemented if the
 > CPN and ISPN approve. Kevin and I have quite a few additional
 > changes we would like to make in the code, some of which we have
 > already incorporated into our editing of companion volume entries
 > because we are reasonably sure that they will be approved by the CPN.
 > Although we think they will be uncontroversial, some of them are also
 > important. We have been holding off sending these proposals to the
 > CPN until after the seemingly interminable and intermittent
 > discussion of the species proposal ends.

If you've already incorporated them into your editing, I do think you 
should present them to us as soon as possible; it shouldn't be difficult 
to discuss two or more proposals at once. I don't doubt that they'll be 
accepted, but authors might be unhappy if you make them follow rules 
that aren't actually there.

Besides -- I've been a bit out of the loop -- what exactly is delaying 
the discussion about the species proposal? We don't seem to be waiting 
for the six months after publication that Art. 22.10 appears to require; 
is that because the Code isn't implemented yet, or are we counting the 
publication on the ISPN website as opposed to that in Systematic Biology?
(Art. 22.10: "Proposed modifications of this code may not be voted upon 
until at least six months have elapsed from the date of their 
publication, to allow for discussion by the systematics community and 
communication of opinions to the members of the CPN.")

> When you talk of implementing  the code, do you also mean publishing
 > it in hard copy? If so, the CPN can't set a definite date because
 > this will be in the hands of the University of California Press,
 > which has the contract to publish it. The most the CPN could do is
 > set a target date for submission of the final product to UC Press.
 > On the other hand, if the CPN and ISPN vote to implement it before it
 > is published in hard copy, we need to make sure that the UC Press is
 > still interested in publishing the code and the companion volume.

These are important concerns that I didn't think about. If we adopt 
online publication, hardcopy publication of the Code won't need to 
happen at or before the starting date (though it couldn't exactly hurt 
either). Given my lack of experience with book publishing, I can only 
defer to Kevin P and Michel.