Re: REVISED PROPOSAL regarding DFSG 3 and 4, licenses, and modifiable text
On Fri, Dec 14, 2001 at 09:31:58PM -0800, Thomas Bushnell, BSG wrote:
> I prefer a proportional limit for two reasons. First, a fixed limit
> invites the abuse of splitting a big invariant thing into a bunch of
> packages. Second, a proportional limit guarantees that we get some
> real fully-free documentation along with the invariant text.
I think it's time for some solid definitions here. The term "invariant",
as used in the GFDL, refers to material that is nonmodifiable and
nonremovable. You would not be able to get around a fixed limit by splitting
up a package, because each partial package would have to contain all of
the invariant text.
I myself have a far bigger objection (in terms of Freedom) to
nonremovable text than to nonmodifiable. I don't mind that the GNU
Manifesto is nonmodifiable, and I think it's appropriate for the
Debian Project to publish that document. But I do not think that
a manual with any invariant text is "real fully-free documentation".
It is documentation that _would have been free_ except for the invariant
text attached to it.
I don't think we should accept any manual with invariant sections
as free; but as a compromise, I would support a policy that identifies
a specific set of texts as acceptable. I'm opposed to any generic
limit based on size. Software projects do merge and share code, and
at some point they may have to share parts of their manuals. This means
that invariant sections will gradually multiply and spread to the manuals
of related programs. We should keep a tight rein on their numbers, and
we should judge based on content as well as (fixed) size.
I refer to fixed size, not proportional, because even a relatively
small invariant section will weigh down even small extracts from the
manual it is bound to, and it might migrate to smaller manuals.
I don't think the size of the manual it originally accompanies is
all that relevant.
[I've cut down the crossposts to "just" debian-legal and debian-policy.]
--
Richard Braakman
Will write free software for money.
See http://www.xs4all.nl/~dark/resume.html
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