Index: includes/theme.inc
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/includes/theme.inc,v
retrieving revision 1.481
diff -u -p -r1.481 theme.inc
--- includes/theme.inc	3 May 2009 08:12:12 -0000	1.481
+++ includes/theme.inc	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -1831,7 +1831,6 @@ function template_preprocess_page(&$vari
   $variables['front_page']        = url();
   $variables['breadcrumb']        = theme('breadcrumb', drupal_get_breadcrumb());
   $variables['feed_icons']        = drupal_get_feeds();
-  $variables['footer_message']    = filter_xss_admin(variable_get('site_footer', FALSE));
   $variables['head']              = drupal_get_html_head();
   $variables['language']          = $GLOBALS['language'];
   $variables['language']->dir     = $GLOBALS['language']->direction ? 'rtl' : 'ltr';
Index: includes/theme.maintenance.inc
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/includes/theme.maintenance.inc,v
retrieving revision 1.24
diff -u -p -r1.24 theme.maintenance.inc
--- includes/theme.maintenance.inc	22 Apr 2009 09:45:02 -0000	1.24
+++ includes/theme.maintenance.inc	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -245,7 +245,6 @@ function template_preprocess_maintenance
   $variables['front_page']        = url();
   $variables['breadcrumb']        = '';
   $variables['feed_icons']        = '';
-  $variables['footer_message']    = filter_xss_admin(variable_get('site_footer', FALSE));
   $variables['head']              = drupal_get_html_head();
   $variables['help']              = '';
   $variables['language']          = $GLOBALS['language'];
Index: modules/system/maintenance-page.tpl.php
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/system/maintenance-page.tpl.php,v
retrieving revision 1.5
diff -u -p -r1.5 maintenance-page.tpl.php
--- modules/system/maintenance-page.tpl.php	18 Feb 2009 14:28:23 -0000	1.5
+++ modules/system/maintenance-page.tpl.php	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@
 
     <div id="footer-wrapper">
       <div id="footer">
-        <?php print $footer_message; ?>
         <?php if (!empty($footer)): print $footer; endif; ?>
       </div> <!-- /footer -->
     </div> <!-- /footer-wrapper -->
Index: modules/system/page.tpl.php
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/system/page.tpl.php,v
retrieving revision 1.18
diff -u -p -r1.18 page.tpl.php
--- modules/system/page.tpl.php	2 Mar 2009 19:23:54 -0000	1.18
+++ modules/system/page.tpl.php	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@
  * - $right: The HTML for the right sidebar.
  *
  * Footer/closing data:
- * - $footer_message: The footer message as defined in the admin settings.
  * - $footer : The footer region.
  * - $closure: Final closing markup from any modules that have altered the page.
  *   This variable should always be output last, after all other dynamic content.
@@ -165,7 +164,6 @@
 
     <div id="footer"><div class="section">
       <?php print theme('links', $secondary_menu, array('id' => 'secondary-menu', 'class' => 'links clearfix')); ?>
-      <?php if ($footer_message): ?><div id="footer-message"><?php print $footer_message; ?></div><?php endif; ?>
       <?php if ($footer): ?><div id="footer-region" class="region"><?php print $footer; ?></div><?php endif; ?>
     </div></div> <!-- /.section, /#footer -->
 
Index: modules/system/system.admin.inc
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/system/system.admin.inc,v
retrieving revision 1.140
diff -u -p -r1.140 system.admin.inc
--- modules/system/system.admin.inc	3 May 2009 07:35:37 -0000	1.140
+++ modules/system/system.admin.inc	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -1195,12 +1195,6 @@ function system_site_information_setting
     '#default_value' => '',
     '#description' => t("Your site's mission or focus statement (often prominently displayed on the front page).")
   );
-  $form['site_footer'] = array(
-    '#type' => 'textarea',
-    '#title' => t('Footer message'),
-    '#default_value' => '',
-    '#description' => t('This text will be displayed at the bottom of each page. Useful for adding a copyright notice to your pages.')
-  );
   $form['anonymous'] = array(
     '#type' => 'textfield',
     '#title' => t('Anonymous user'),
Index: modules/system/system.install
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/system/system.install,v
retrieving revision 1.319
diff -u -p -r1.319 system.install
--- modules/system/system.install	30 Apr 2009 21:44:18 -0000	1.319
+++ modules/system/system.install	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -3287,10 +3287,23 @@ function system_update_7021() {
     }
     drupal_set_message('The user registration guidelines were migrated to <a href="' . url('admin/build/block/configure/block/' . ($bid_max + 2)) . '">a custom block</a> and set up to only show on the user registration page. The block was set to use the default text format, which might differ from the HTML based format used before. Please check the block and ensure that the output is right.');
   }
-  // Remove the two variables (even if they were saved empty on the admin interface),
+
+  // Migrate site footer message to a custom block.
+  if ($footer_message = variable_get('site_footer', '')) {
+    db_insert('box')->fields(array('body' => $footer_message, 'info' => 'Footer message', 'format' => FILTER_FORMAT_DEFAULT))->execute();
+    foreach ($themes_with_blocks as $theme) {
+      // Add site footer block for themes, which had blocks.
+      // Set low weight, so the block comes early (it used to be 
+      // before the other blocks).
+      $ret[] = update_sql("INSERT INTO {block} (module, delta, theme, status, weight, region, pages, cache) VALUES ('block', '" . ($bid_max + 3) . "', '" . $theme . "', 1, -10, 'footer', '', -1)");
+    }
+    drupal_set_message('The footer message was migrated to <a href="' . url('admin/build/block/configure/block/' . ($bid_max + 3)) . '">a custom block</a> and set up to appear in the footer. The block was set to use the default text format, which might differ from the HTML based format used before. Please check the block and ensure that the output is right.');
+  }
+  // Remove the variables (even if they were saved empty on the admin interface),
   // to avoid keeping clutter in the variables table.
   variable_del('contact_form_information');
   variable_del('user_registration_help');
+  variable_del('site_footer');
   
   // Rebuild theme data, so the new 'help' region is identified.
   _system_theme_data();
Index: themes/garland/maintenance-page.tpl.php
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/themes/garland/maintenance-page.tpl.php,v
retrieving revision 1.8
diff -u -p -r1.8 maintenance-page.tpl.php
--- themes/garland/maintenance-page.tpl.php	18 Feb 2009 14:28:25 -0000	1.8
+++ themes/garland/maintenance-page.tpl.php	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
           <div class="clearfix">
             <?php print $content ?>
           </div>
-          <div id="footer"><?php print $footer_message . $footer ?></div>
+          <div id="footer"><?php print $footer ?></div>
       </div></div></div></div> <!-- /.left-corner, /.right-corner, /#squeeze, /#center -->
 
       <?php if ($right): ?>
Index: themes/garland/page.tpl.php
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/themes/garland/page.tpl.php,v
retrieving revision 1.24
diff -u -p -r1.24 page.tpl.php
--- themes/garland/page.tpl.php	18 Feb 2009 14:28:25 -0000	1.24
+++ themes/garland/page.tpl.php	4 May 2009 12:03:19 -0000
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
             <?php print $content ?>
           </div>
           <?php print $feed_icons ?>
-          <div id="footer"><?php print $footer_message . $footer ?></div>
+          <div id="footer"><?php print $footer ?></div>
       </div></div></div></div> <!-- /.left-corner, /.right-corner, /#squeeze, /#center -->
 
       <?php if ($right): ?>