Re: Why I don't share Manojs fears.

[Buddha Buck <bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu>]

> 
> I don't see the point of a verbatim dist..  Perhaps a verbatim section in
> main...?

As I understand it, the purpose of a verbatim distribution is so that 
we can ship documents (be it standards, books, graphic novels, 
political opinion) that we have the right to distribute verbatim, but 
not to modify.  Such documents don't meet the requirements of the DFSG, 
but may be of utility to ship anyway.

Many people feel that documents of a non-technical nature (like 
personal comments, political papers and free-software manifestos, etc) 
should not need the ability to be modified to be useful, and that we 
should be able to distribute them, even though they may be, 
technically, non-free (under the definition of the DFSG).  The issue is 
less certain about documents of a technical nature like standards: some 
feel that a modifiable standard is not a standard, while others feel 
that modifiability is useful to have in a standard.

The "verbatim" distribution is a compromise, it allows us to ship 
documents that we have permission to distribute verbatim, but still be 
able to call "main" 100% free.

Software and software documentation would be prohibited from 
"verbatim", since there is a very compelling case that they should be 
free.

A verbatim section versus a verbatim distribution isn't desirable, 
since the distributions differ by licensing requirements, while 
sections differ on function/utility.  Since the critical issue is 
licensing, verbatim needs to be a distribution.


-- 
     Buddha Buck                      bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
liberty depends upon the chaos and cacaphony of the unfettered speech
the First Amendment protects."  -- A.L.A. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice