Re: detail about license in duc package

[Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au>]

Herbert Fortes (hpfn) <hpfn@ig.com.br> writes:

> On version 1.4.0 of the duc package a new file became part of the
> software. At a first read I thought it was free. But now I have
> doubts.

Thank you for taking care to verify Debian users have free software.

> First paragraph:
>
> "Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
>  copy of this software and/or associated documentation files (the
>  "Materials"), to deal in the Materials without restriction, including
>  without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
>  distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Materials, and to
>  permit persons to whom the Materials are furnished to do so, subject to
>  the following conditions:"
>
> It is define "Materials" as the documentation files only ?

That appears to be a custom text by someone who is uncomfortable with
using “software” to refer to non-programs. It is otherwise the same as
the corresponding paragraph from the Expat license text.

My reading of that passage is that “the Materials” refers to “this
software and/or associated documentation files”.

I think they should just use “software” as in the original, because that
term rightly refers to any digitally-encoded information. Either way,
the grant is clearly free-software and DFSG-conformant.

-- 
 \       “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death |
  `\     your right to say it.” —Evelyn Beatrice Hall, _The Friends of |
_o__)                                                  Voltaire_, 1906 |
Ben Finney