>
> I don't see the point of a verbatim dist.. Perhaps a verbatim section in
> main...?
As I understand it, the purpose of a verbatim distribution is so that
we can ship documents (be it standards, books, graphic novels,
political opinion) that we have the right to distribute verbatim, but
not to modify. Such documents don't meet the requirements of the DFSG,
but may be of utility to ship anyway.
Many people feel that documents of a non-technical nature (like
personal comments, political papers and free-software manifestos, etc)
should not need the ability to be modified to be useful, and that we
should be able to distribute them, even though they may be,
technically, non-free (under the definition of the DFSG). The issue is
less certain about documents of a technical nature like standards: some
feel that a modifiable standard is not a standard, while others feel
that modifiability is useful to have in a standard.
The "verbatim" distribution is a compromise, it allows us to ship
documents that we have permission to distribute verbatim, but still be
able to call "main" 100% free.
Software and software documentation would be prohibited from
"verbatim", since there is a very compelling case that they should be
free.
A verbatim section versus a verbatim distribution isn't desirable,
since the distributions differ by licensing requirements, while
sections differ on function/utility. Since the critical issue is
licensing, verbatim needs to be a distribution.
--
Buddha Buck [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
liberty depends upon the chaos and cacaphony of the unfettered speech
the First Amendment protects." -- A.L.A. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice
