Re: Defining 'preferred form for making modifications'

[Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>]

Scripsit tb@becket.net (Thomas Bushnell, BSG)
> Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net> writes:

> > Some people would prefer to edit a layered format,
> > because it gives them better control and allow them to change the
> > semantic contents of the image without losing any overlaid effects.
> > Other people, however, would honestly prefer to edit the raw pixels of
> > the gif, because they don't want to learn how to use an advanced
> > layered editor.

> In such a case, the layered format is the preferred form,

Perhaps for you. Not for everybody.

> for the simple reason that if you have distributed that, then the
> "raw pixels of the gif" are still accessible and can be edited,

But if they are not the preferred form, it is illegal to edit them (at
least, it it illegal to distribute the edited gifs). So what's the
point of being *able* to do so?

> Again, I'm not sure what I think about this question with respect to
> free software in general.  But in the case of the GPL, the answer is
> easy: don't drop the xcf files from the distribution, period.

What would that help? The xcf files are no longer the source of the
gifs that are distributed. They may be source of something else, but
the GPL has never required that you distribute any source but the one
for the binaries you distribute.

-- 
Henning Makholm              "I Guds Faders namn, och Sonens, och den Helige
                   Andes! Bevara oss från djävulens verk och från Muhammeds,
                den förbannades, illfundigheter! Med dig är det värre än med
            någon annan, ty att lyssna till Muhammed är det värsta av allt."