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Re: DFSG intent question



When designing the DFSG, I was considering the contents of a Debian CD,
much like the Official Debian ISO image, containing all of the Debian
software and documentation. I don't remember if I made the official CD
policy before or after the DFSG. I intended for the entire contents of
that CD to be under the rights stated in the DSFG - be they software,
documentation, or data.

My feeling is that invariant sections are OK for attribution and the
copyright statement and license ONLY, and not for other aspects of the
document. I think RMS wanted them so that he could package GNU history
and philosophy with the technical documentation in a way that would not
allow them to be separated. While this may be a laudable goal, I don't
think it's the right goal for Debian.

I'm somewhat disappointed with the direction of the Creative Commons
movement, and efforts like the GNU FDL, to reduce the number of rights
attached to the concept of "free" regarding documentation as opposed to
software. I have very consciously maintained my own book series as Open
Source rather than Creative Commons. I accept the GNU FDL on books in my
series only if there are no invariant sections other than attribution, the
copyright statement, and the license.

	Thanks

	Bruce

On Mon, Aug 11, 2003 at 09:36:22AM +0100, MJ Ray wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> Sorry to email you about old history, but were the Debian Free 
> Software Guidelines intended to cover all software in Debian 
> (including documentation as well as programs)?  It would be useful 
> information to a discussion on debian-legal about the GNU FDL.
> 
> If you wish, post your answer directly to them.  Alternatively, I will 
> faithfully report a small GPG-signed snippet to the list, if you 
> furnish it, or an unsigned one, or whatever you want, basically.  I'm 
> not trying to start a flamewar, but both answers to the above question 
> have been claimed, so it seemed worth asking someone who should know.
> 
> Many thanks for any help.
> 
> Amike,
> -- 
> MJR/slef   My Opinion Only and possibly not of any group I know.
>      http://mjr.towers.org.uk/   jabber://slef@jabber.at
> Creative copyleft computing services via http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
> Thought: Edwin A Abbott wrote about trouble with Windows in 1884



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