Input requested for installation profile packaging

In the near future, installation profiles will be packaged with all of core, and whatever contributed projects they depend on. In designing exactly how this system will work, there are some unanswered questions that I'd like to get feedback from the community about. I've posted each one as a poll in the installation profile group (http://groups.drupal.org/distributions) so that people can both comment and vote on the various alternatives.

• Should the version strings for installation profiles include the exact version of core they contain?
• Should the file that controls packaging for installation profiles be called ".info" or ".pkg"? (Note: all the other polls and discussions are currently written to assume we'll use .info files for installation profiles).
• Should install profile maintainers have control over where contributed projects are included in the packaged tarball?
• Should maintainers be able to place files in arbitrary locations in the installation profile's directory tree?
• What's the best practice for where modules should be located inside an installation profile?

In the interest of transparency and giving the community a chance to discuss before I unilaterally impose my will, I'm posting all of this for feedback and comments. ;) I don't consider this an exercise in painting a
bikeshed, since there are potentially big implications the outcomes of these questions (especially the one regarding version strings). So please be thoughtful and carefully weigh the impact of each possible result when replying and voting to any of these topics.

Note: votes accompanied by thoughtful comments will have more bearing on the decision process. However it's better to just vote than to add a "+1 for xxx" comment on each poll.

Thanks,
-Derek (dww)