On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 17:54:56 -0700, Wesley J Landaker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said:
> On Wednesday 01 February 2006 14:32, Anton Zinoviev wrote: >> On Wed, Feb 01, 2006 at 10:36:48AM -0800, Thomas Bushnell BSG wrote: >> > "Wesley J. Landaker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >> > > Sure, it says it must permit modifications, but it doesn't way >> > > that it must permit ALL modifications. The way it reads, >> > > literally, could be interpreted as it must permit ALL >> > > modifcations, or as it must permit at least two modifications >> > > (so that "modifications" is plural). >> > >> > So, would you regard a license which permitted the modification >> > of some features of a program, but not others, to be free? I >> > would not. >> > >> > This is why your interpretation sounds entirely ad-hoc. If you >> > *really* think that the correct reading of this part of the DFSG >> > is to say that as long as two modifications are permitted, it >> > does not matter what restrictions are on the rest of a program, >> > then I think you are proffering something so implausible it need >> > not be considered. >> >> Wesley wrote "The way it reads, literally, could be interpretted". >> This doesn't mean he thinks this is the correct reading of DFSG. > Precisely; the point of my whole e-mail was that you can never solve > issues about how to interpret the DFSG by legalistic semantic > nitpicking on how the sentences are written. I beg to duiffer. The license must allow modifications is not really all that unclear, a grey area subject to differing interpretations. While there are grey areas in applying the guidelines, I do not see this as one of them. manoj -- Wow! Look!! A stray meatball!! Let's interview it! Manoj Srivastava <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/> 1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B 924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]