On Sun, Apr 07, 2002 at 03:00:37PM -0400, Dale Scheetz wrote:
> > > There are an ever growing number of packages that make use of the GNU Free
> > > Documentation License. Isn't it about time to put a copy of this license
> > > into the common reference area?
> > >
> > > Who should I talk to about this?
> >
> > Why put a blatantly non-free license in the common licenses directory?
>
> You clearly have an opinion on this issue ;-)
>
> I suppose this stems from the "invarient section" clause in the GFDL?
I'm more concerned with the additional publisher requirements. They have
been relaxed a little with 1.1 and reworded slightly in the draft for
1.2, but I feel it's still a problem.
I don't like the invariant sections much, but the draft of 1.2 seems to
resolve the major concerns I had.
> While this declaration is "broader" than the same feature in the GPL, I
> don't see the problem.
>
> The GPL allows the license and the copyright statements to be both
> required, and invarient. The GFDL simply recognizes that documents often
> have historical, philosophical, or political statements that should, yes
> need, to be protected from modification. These sections, such as the
> history section of my book, writen by Ian M., deserve protection if truely
> "free speech" is to continue to be protected. The technical material can
> then be left "modifiable" as is needed and useful to such matherial.
History reads as ChangeLog in most programs and is not invariant, but
AFAIK it can be cut off at a certain point for brevity if you like.
> What would be a more suitable "Free Documentation License" in your view?
I would certainly be less eager to argue over the 1.2 version if the FDL
when it's released since it applies a sanity check to section 3 and
clarifies a little the named sections which may deserve special treatment.
--
Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@bluecherry.net> Have chainsaw will travel
<Knghtbrd> Overfiend - BTW, after we've discovered X takes all of 1.4 GIGS
to build, are you willing admit that X is bloatware? =>
<Overfiend> KB: there is a 16 1/2 minute gap in my answer
<acf> knghtbrd: evidence exists that X is only the *2nd* worst windowing
system ;)
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