Re: Debian WWW CVS commit by joey: webwml/english/News/weekly/2003/27 index.wml
On Wed, Jul 16, 2003 at 11:16:42AM +0200, Gerfried Fuchs wrote:
> * Debian WWW CVS <webmaster@debian.org> [2003-07-16 03:04]:
> > Log message:
> > Corrections by Yann Dirson and Branden Robinson
>
> -views the FDL as DFSG-free if invariant sections are not used.</p>
> +views the FDL as DFSG-free even if invariant sections are not used.</p>
>
> That even doesn't give any sense to me here. Is this really correct? I
> mean, the FDL is DFSG-free _especially_ when invariant sections are not
> used, not even... Or what do I not understand here?
It's a significant change and its all because English is a stupid
imprecise language.
Hmm, here it is:
http://www.debian.org/News/weekly/current/issue/index.html
"Brian Nelson pointed out that Anthony Towns' proposal views the FDL as
DFSG-free even if invariant sections are not used."
The addition of the "even" is incorrect. Anthony's proposal, rightly or
wrongly, views FDL with no invariant sections as DFSG-free. With those
sections, it is not DFSG-free. The addition of the "even" now means
that the proposal states FDL is DFSG-free no matter if you use the
invariant sections or not. This is not what Anthony said.
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2003/debian-legal-200304/msg00246.html
"If you do not make use of Invariant Sections, or include an
Acknowledgements or Dedication section, there are no problems with
your GNU FDL licensed document passing the DFSG. However, if someone
modifies your document, and adds an Invariant Section, the new document
will become "tainted" and can no longer be made to pass the DFSG."
It's a bit clumsy, so lets use another example about the "even".
"Software is buggy if it is non-free."
If software is non-free, then it is buggy. There is no explcit comment
about free software. However almost all readers mentally make an
assumption that this statement is saying implicitly that if the software
is free, it is NOT buggy. This is because people are not boolean
machines. IF non-free THEN BUGGY is not the same as non-free AND buggy.
"Software is buggy even if it is non-free"
All software is buggy no matter if it is free or non-free. There is
an implication here that you are emphasising non-free software for some
reason, perhaps to counter a well-held false belief. However the
qualifier (even if it is non-free) can be removed and the sentence still
makes sense. In boolean terms IF software THEN buggy.
- Craig
--
Craig Small VK2XLZ GnuPG:1C1B D893 1418 2AF4 45EE 95CB C76C E5AC 12CA DFA5
Eye-Net Consulting http://www.enc.com.au/ <csmall@enc.com.au>
MIEEE <csmall@ieee.org> Debian developer <csmall@debian.org>
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