Re: GFDL GR, vote please!

[Anton Zinoviev <anton@lml.bas.bg>]

On Fri, Feb 10, 2006 at 08:59:59PM +0000, Roger Leigh wrote:
> Anton Zinoviev <anton@lml.bas.bg> writes:
> 
> > On Fri, Feb 10, 2006 at 01:41:42PM +0000, Roger Leigh wrote:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I think the following is an useful test.  If the license forbids some
> >> >> > modification that is necessary in order to adapt the document to some
> >> >> > need, then the document is non-free.  Otherwise, that is if the
> >> >> > license does not forbid any necessary modification, the document may
> >> >> > be free.
> >> >> 
> >> >> This is no good.  Where is it defined what is "necessary", and who
> >> >> deems what is "necessary"?  What /I/ consider to be necessary may be
> >> >> considered "unnecessary" (and hence, not allowed) by the copyright
> >> >> holders.
> >> >
> >> > I don't think we disagree what "necessary" means.
> >> 
> >> Please answer the question I asked: Where is it defined what is
> >> "necessary", and who deems what is "necessary"?
> >
> > OK.  The modification is necessary in order to adapt the document to
> > some need if there is no way to adapt the document to serve the
> > purpose in question without this modification.
> 
> Please could you still answer my question: *Who* defines what is
> "necessary"?
> 
> Your partial answer above also appears to be nothing more than your
> personal opinion.  Can you properly justify your reasoning with a
> detailed rationale?  I think we need something rather more concrete
> than the personal opinion of a single developer for something which
> has important ramifications.  It's all still rather too vague and
> handwavy to be of any practical use.

I realy don't know what you want.

I proposed a test, you asked what "necessary" means and I answered.
You are free to accept this test together with my answer, or you can
use your own meaning of "necessary", or you can reject that test
completely.

In this thread Steve Langasek asked how he could understand DFSG in a
way under which GFDL would be a free license.  I proposed one
particular way - the way I understand DFSG.  However I am not trying
to persuade anyone that my way is the only way.  If you want, I can
try to explain why this is a reasonable way to understand DFSG, but it
is definitely not the only possible way.

Anton Zinoviev