research on using the GFDL

[Karsten Wade]

On Thu, 2005-05-05 at 03:03 -0500, Thomas Jones wrote:

> I am not sure what you mean here. Isn't document authoring using the 
> templates the topic at hand? So new documents are not authored according 
> to the templates?
> 
> I was just trying to save everyone alot of legal leg-work and research 
> by utilizing pre-existing accepted templates.

I think the difference is that the templates are vetted for clarity in
authoring and following the LDP process.  This is a vetting that the
writers and editors of LDP
 can do themselves.

It does not sound as if those templates are vetted for legal anything.
They probably followed the formula laid out in the GFDL for compliance.
It's not that hard, I'm pretty sure I know what we need to do ... okay,
well, that's a lie, it's obscure to me what to do, but I'm confident we
can figure this out.

> Yes, I did notice that it was a recommendation. However, as noted 
> before; LDP states that "The Linux Documentation Project the document 
> has to be licensed according to either GFDL" etc..etc...

I'm just guessing here, but I reckon the FSF would not agree that the CC
or incomplete LDP license is equivalent in stature to the GFDL.  The
fact that they offer three different licenses shows to me a lack of
confidence in any one, single license.

> So you are saying that the staple linux documentation entity --- LDP 
> ---- is improperly recommending use of the GFDL for documentation 
> authored from their guides templates? If the guides templates do not 
> conform then why do they recommend utilization of the GFDL license? If 
> the templates do conform, which it should given they are recommending 
> utilization of the GFDL; then why not use the templates?

I think we are mixing up fruit here (to mix up metaphors).

It sounds as if the templates conform only to LDP standard of layout and
associated licensing.  They happen to be covered by the GFDL, but by
their own rules, they could change the Author Guide to use the CC or the
new LDP license and _still_be_in_conformance_.

Regardless, I think the point is no longer moot.  Our docs and
procedures are well derived from the giants who have stood here before.
The major differences are in the stylesheets.  We are already using the
LDP format, in general.

<snip from another email>

> If you know of some loophole because of the manifesto; you may want
> to forward that to ESR or another representative of FSF. I am sure
> they'd be interested to know of your findings.

This one seems to have been well-beaten by Debian.  AIUI, docs that use
the GFDL and have Invariant Sections or other immutable-by-license
content are considered non-free by Debian.  The discussions were hot in
the middle of 2003 and early in 2004 on debian-legal.  I'm only reading
about them now.  I'm sure the FSF has heard all about it.

- Karsten
-- 
Karsten Wade, RHCE * Sr. Tech Writer * http://people.redhat.com/kwade/
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