Re: Poll results: User views on the FDL issue

[Adam McKenna <adam@flounder.net>]

On Wed, Apr 20, 2005 at 03:20:55PM -0400, Glenn Maynard wrote:
> > They promote the sharing of the information in the invariant section.  In
> > fact, they require it.  The question is, will less people share the document
> > if they are forced to share it with the invariant section attached?  I think
> > that only the people with the most extreme views would not.
> 
> Ability to modify and reuse a work are absolutely fundamental to a work
> being Free.  Promoting the distribution of a work by prohibiting its
> modification is not a trade acceptable to free software.

You can modify it in the form of another invariant section.  I don't see how
this is substantially different than a work that only allows distribution of
patches which would meet DFSG #4.

> And that's what it does--promotes *distribution*, not *sharing*.  If the
> work was being shared, we'd be allowed to change it.  Instead, only the
> original author can do anything with it beyond distribution.  The FSF
> calls that "software hoarding".

Only the invariant sections cannot be changed.  The rest of the work (the
important part) can be.

--Adam