Re: xfig-doc has license problems in examples
On Tue, Oct 16, 2001 at 08:47:07AM -0500, Branden Robinson wrote:
> What part of "Free Software" don't you understand?
The second part, apparently. The "Software" part.
> If we distribute it, it's software.
Arguably, (and rereading the social contract), yes. Thanks for
reminding me. However - this is not the case today. Not everything
Debian distributes would pass through the DFSG, and (especially if it
turns out that the GNU FDL doesn't[1]) taking this away from Debian
would in my humble opinion detract greatly from Debian.
> If it's not software (or willing to be treated as such), it's not our
> mission to distribute it.
Distributing documentation, licenses (like the GPL-text itself) and
examples makes Debian better. Sure, you're covered either way since X
doesn't use either of the GNU licenses, but large parts of Debian does.
And this should be debated and decided. The options as far as I can
see them are:
A) Only ever distributing things that pass through the DFSG, even if
they are pictures and documentation - they would have to be Free as in
Very Free. This would mean removing large parts of Debian - like all
GPL'ed software.[2]
B) Distributing art and information under different terms than the
DFSG because they *are* different.
C) Starting a separate distribution, accessible through apt and
integrated to Debian but not under the same social contract, for art,
information and documentation. I hope this wouldn't be necessary, I'd
prefer option "B)" above.
D) Others?
Sunnanvind. (No, I don't want to "corrupt Debian" or take freedom away
from it. I adore and love Debians high ideals.)
[1] The FDL allows modification of technical parts, but not totally
free modifications of everything.
[2] The alternatives would be either to, as some people have stated is
done today, make an exception for license texts, but then you're
already making exceptions to the "100% Free Software"-part. The other
alternative would be to ask the FSF to change their licenses to be
freely modifyable. I don't think that's a good idea, I like the GPL
and the FDL as they are.
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