discuss: new documentation license
Subject:
Re: new documentation license
From:
Emma Jane Hogbin ####@####.####
Date:
25 Nov 2003 00:26:40 -0000
Message-Id: <20031124152547.GE808@debian>
On Mon, Nov 24, 2003 at 02:47:26PM +0100, Frank Lichtenheld wrote:
> Hmm, from a fully personal view (but from the perpective of a maintainer
> of documents in Debian and not from the perspective of a author) I would
> say: Just Don't Do It.
Agreed.
> A "free" licence after all definitions I know
> never includes a requirement to contact the original author before
> redistributing.
Agreed.
I am seriously torn when it comes to "free" documentation the way (for
example) Debian would like to see it done. If I write software and release
it under a free license, I understand that the software will be picked up
by someone else, probably renamed and released again with a few minor
changes. And for some reason I'm totally OK with this; however, when I
release technical documentation there's something inside of me that
doesn't want it to be "free"--I want it to be "mine."
I understand why the LDP tries to contact authors before modifying a
document, but according to the license many have picked this is NOT
REQUIRED. It says right in the (default) GFDL that you may modify the
documentation but not change the author's name. On the one hand the LDP
is putting a free documentation license onto its documents, but on the
other hand, it's not really being true to the spirit of the license. I'm
pleased that the LDP is trying to protect its authors, but I don't feel
that the LDP is providing open source documentation; instead it's
providing documentation for the open source community.
I don't know which is the best approach. I really am not sure if I would
rather see living documents that are truly open source (and thus have a
higher chance of being kept up-to-date); or if I would rather a tighter
document that is maintained by a single person and quite possibly
abandoned at some point.
emma
--
Emma Jane Hogbin
[[ 416 417 2868 ][ www.xtrinsic.com ]]
