discuss: Quality (Was: Re: Modifiability of documentation and software)
Subject:
Re: Quality (Was: Re: Modifiability of documentation and software)
From:
Machtelt Garrels ####@####.####
Date:
28 Feb 2005 11:00:55 -0000
Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.4.44.0502281046070.21914-100000@cobra.xalasys.com>
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On Mon, 28 Feb 2005, Rahul Sundaram wrote:
> Let me take care of that. Machtelt, whats your opinion
> on modifiability as a requirement?
I prefer documents to be modifiable. It makes administrative procedures
easier, i.e. when somebody wants to take over authorship of an old
document and can not contact the original author. But anyway, it has
been pointed out before that there is really not much of a restriction if
the document is really outdated and has to be reworded and rewritten.
However, I am still using the GFDL with invariant sections "Copyright
information" and "Feedback", because I want the license to remain the same
on my modifiable document, and I want to get the feedback as long as I am
maintaining the document.
In general, if you want a copyrighted document, instead of a more or less
"copylefted" one, you should turn to a commercial publisher, and not to
TLDP, I guess. Contributing to TLDP means giving to the community, with
all risks and benefits that that implies. You can not simply turn to TLDP
only for the positive side. The medal has a negative side as well, which
you know when you contribute, and you should live with that.
I agree with what was said before on free documents on non-free software:
it is not really our task to host those and we should be carefull
accepting those documents. Often they are written and contributed to TLDP
because no good documentation is available for a product, but we run then
the risk that the company owning the software lets TLDP/the community do
the work, so that they can lateron "steel" the documentation, and include
it in their product at no cost.
Tille.
- --
My Penguin, my freedom. http://tille.xalasys.com
Books: http://writers.fultus.com/garrels
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