Holger Levsen <hol...@layer-acht.org> writes: > Hi Ben, > > On Samstag, 3. Mai 2014, Ben Finney wrote: > > As far as I understand it, that phrase [“preferred form of > > modification”] doesn't make sense. > > > > My understanding of the FTP team's operating policy for what > > constitutes source for a work is: the preferred form of the work for > > making modifications to it. > > > > Is that what you meant? > > care to explain the difference?
We're not interested in what form a *modification* takes (if it even makes sense to talk about a “form of modification”, which doesn't seem coherent in the context). We're interested in what form of the *work* is the source form. That is, to answer the question “what is the source form of the work”, we need a definition that answers in terms of “such-and-so form of the work”. To answer that question, an answer that talks about “form of modification” doesn't line up; at least, I can't make it coherent without changing the wording. So, that's why I'm suggesting we use the GPL's phrase to answer that same question: “the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it”, which is AIUI what the ftp-team already uses to define the source form of a work. I suspect that definition is what is meant here, but I'd rather we not need to guess, and I'd rather we not use a divergent definition that isn't already widely understood if we don't need to. -- \ “Nullius in verba” (“Take no-one's word for it”) —motto of the | `\ Royal Society, since 1663-06-30 | _o__) | Ben Finney -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/85tx97f5li....@benfinney.id.au
