On Tue, Jan 24, 2006 at 10:11:29AM +0200, Fabian Fagerholm wrote: > On Mon, 2006-01-23 at 17:39 -0600, Peter Samuelson wrote: > > I think everyone is forgetting this one (IMHO pretty reasonable) > > option: > > - Works licensed under the terms of the GNU FDL but with no > > invariant-foo comply (or may comply) with the DFSG, but we still > > refuse to distribute them, because of the significant practical > > problems that this would cause both for us and for our users. > A valid point, but at least the three problems you list don't seem > sufficiently problematic. > > The notable practical problems I'm alluding to would include: > > - All Debian mirrors must retain source packages one year after the > > corresponding binary packages are deleted > This is hardly impossible, or even difficult. We still retain sources > for Woody, released in 2002. Yes, and under this license we would still have to keep those sources around for a year *after* we stop distributing woody in binary form. And provide for backups & network reliability, since losing our copy would leave us in violation of the license. Given that archive space has been a big issue for us over the past year, I don't see how you can assume this is "trivial". > > - Debian CD vendors must either ship source CDs to all customers > > regardless of whether a customer wants them, or maintain their own > > download mirrors. > I don't see how GNU FDL, section 3, paragraph 3, amounts to CD vendors > having to maintain their own mirrors. If Debian already retains source > for a year, then "reasonably prudent steps" on their part would be to > point the customer to the Debian mirror network and cease distribution > when Debian does so. Wow, you think it's "prudent" to rely on an external organization with whom you do not have a contract for your compliance with a license? Most businesses would *not*, and I doubt most judges would either. -- Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world. vorlon@debian.org http://www.debian.org/
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