On 19 Aug 2005 07:28:20 GMT MJ Ray wrote:
> Francesco Poli <frx@winstonsmith.info> wrote:
> > Trying other 'forums' will probably produce a *different* answer.
> > We use the DFSG as the guidelines to determine if a work is free or
> > not. Other groups/foundations/projects use *different* criteria.
>
> Maybe, but there's not really much difference in result most times.
I'm not so sure... :-(
See MPL, QPL, GFDL, CC-by, CC-by-sa, ...
in http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html
See MPL, QPL, ...
in http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.html
>
> > I'm referring to well-known cases such as Debian and FSF disagreeing
> > about the GFDL, and similar ones.
>
> Do they? FSF don't claim it's a free software licence, but that the
> desire for it to be one isn't sensible (or something like that).
Granted.
But when the question is "is the GFDL a license suitable to release free
documentation?" their answer is very different from our... :-(
>
> Anyway, yes, non-program licences and patent-related problems are
> things where debian-legal has a slightly different opinion to FSF
> leadership, but most aren't about those, licence proliferation is
> bad and we've done "what licence for text" to death in the archive.
We have so *few* DFSG-free non-programs, that I don't consider this as a
minor issue...
I'm worried about this possible scenario:
* a user comes to us seeking for license analysis or recommendation
* we tell her "if you are not talking about a Debian (prospective)
package, go away"
* she finds another 'forum' and follows their analyses and
recommendations
* sooner or later she becomes an author and writes something useful
* she chooses the license based on what she was recommended
* many other people contribute to her work
* an RFP or ITP is filed against that work in the Debian BTS
* it's time for debian-legal to check the license
* ouch! the work does not comply with the DFSG: must be rejected from
main
* it's too late to persuade people to relicense: another work is lost
Maybe we could have talked to her earlier in this process... :-(
--
:-( This Universe is buggy! Where's the Creator's BTS? ;-)
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