Re: A concrete proposal
Richard Braakman <dark@xs4all.nl> writes:
> This problem affects the GPL itself as well, and the last time the FSF
> moved it was handled via silent replacement of the license text. I even
> wrote the Lintian check for that :-) But the GPL has explicit provisions
> that allow such upgrading, which the Emacs manual does not have.
You're quite right I think. The problem of updating here is real, and
I think the FSF is blind to it because they don't plan for their own
death--inevitable though everyone's/everything's death is. Ah,
appropriate that it is Advent, eh?
The case of the GDB manual raises some particular nastinesses, and I
think your point about the problems of updating even inoccuous things
like addresses are important. Also, Anthony or Branden (I can't
recall which, maybe both) have brought up the useful point about
having unremovable sections that persist for way too long, even if you
only want to use selected snippets of the manual.
The fact that the "sample GDB session" is marked invariant is a
special worry; it seems to me a violation of the GFDL in just the way
that RMS said couldn't happy and Branden was so worried about a while
ago.
So I'm not sure what to think anymore, the latest comments have given
me considerable pause.
Reply to: