Re: vector format and freesofware

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

Paul Wise <pabs@debian.org> writes:

> On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Mohsen Pahlevanzadeh wrote:
>
> > Which of vector format of pic are FOSS? such as svg?
>
> The format of vector images isn't relevant, the license is what makes
> a vector image FOSS or not.

That's only half-true. A non-free license (or the absence of a license)
can make a work non-free. But a free license is not sufficient, and the
format of the work can matter.

There are some formats which are effectively opaque to free software.
These works, then, are in a format which prevents the recipient from
effectively exercising their freedoms, regardless of the copyright
license of the document.

Adobe Illustrator, for example, saves its vector data in a format which
cannot effectively be edited in anything else. That means that, no
matter the copyright license of the resulting document, it would be
disingenuous to call the document free.

-- 
 \      “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… |
  `\    It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in |
_o__)                        the opposite direction.” —Albert Einstein |
Ben Finney