Re: upstreams maintainer conflict, was: wget: remove outdated manual page
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On 15 May 1998, Hrvoje Niksic wrote:
> Nicolás Lichtmaier <nick@feedback.net.ar> writes:
>
> > Here at Debian we like manpages. We decided to provide a manpage
> > with every executable in the system. You have read the policy and
> > know that it would be a bug for a Debian package to link to
> > undocumented(7). It would also be a bug to remove the manpage. So
> > I've choosen to improve it. It would be great if you can point any
> > problem you find in the new version.
>
> Problems:
>
[snip - `outdated' problem]
>
> * It is an old version of *my* manual page. Not the "new version". I
> have removed the old page because I consider it inadequate. If I
> were to write a man-page now, I would have done it differently.
Are you implying that the man page isn't also licensed under the GNU GPL?
It is completely irrelevant who wrote the initial draft of the man page -
someone has come along and improved it (and not sufficently distinguished
the fact that that it their own work and not yours).
Imagine if the authors of gcc had complained that someone had improved
their work, and that they should rewrite it (the work they improved and
the improvement) from scratch. I doubt gcc would be such a prominent
compiler - everyone would have been trying to satisfy the ego of the
various programmers involved.
Free software's innate strength is that everyone can improve it. So if,
for whatever reason, the original author(s) does not wish to, someone else
can. Sure it is nice if you can work together with the upstream author,
but you don't always have to.
> For the reason above, I would like you to remove my man page from the
> package, and write your own. As long as you don't
He has written his own - it just happens to be derived from initial draft.
Unfortunately he hasn't indicated himself clearly. He should be doing that
from a legal perspective anyway. Especially since you are unlikely to
incorporate his changes.
> > I will add a note (kind of a disclaimer) to the page saying that I'm
> > responible for it, if you wish.
>
> No. I want you to remove the page and write your own. Failing that,
> I want you to write that this page is present AGAINST my explicit
> wishes, and that I disclaim ALL responsibility for its contents.
He has written his own, he has simply not indicated it clearly enough. If
you do insist on forcing the maintainer to add this `against my wishes'
nonsense, I think he should also had a section indicating your (apparent)
lack of understanding of the GNU GPL. Citing from this email ought to do
it.
> It is only too bad that I have no legal means to force you to do the
> above. This is what I meant by "regretting" that Wget is free.
Then obviously you have licensed Wget under the wrong license if your
regret is the fact that someone might actually bother to take the time and
interest to improve it.
There are licenses which allow this; it is a shame that the FSF assumes
you have read and understood your rights under the GNU GPL when a
copyright transfer takes place.
Anand.
- --
`When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to
its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are
forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how
holy the motives' -- Robert A Heinlein, "If this goes on --"
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