On Mon, Nov 11, 2024 at 11:19:49AM -0600, Corwin Brust wrote: > > I think it is more to the point that program authors submitting to > Savannah are not choosing the GFDL - we are pressuring them to do so.
I don't think we really do---no more than we are pressuring them to choose the GPL for programs; if they don't like complexities, they can apply a permissive license. > Is this sufficiently important to justify applying such pressure? Having free documentation is very important for free software, and one can't take it for granted, https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html When we encourage documentation license compatibility, we help building free documentation. > > I think one point to consider is coherency with GNU: non-GNU > > Savannah was provided for hosting to serve as a place where > > GNU packages could take code and documentation from; currently, > > GNU policies include using FDL for manuals, so for that idea > > to work, the documentation of packages hosted on non-GNU Savannah > > should also be FDL-compatible... or the GNU Project could > > reconsider its policies about the documentation. > > IIUC, the argument stated is that Non-GNU Savannah packages might > some-day become GNU packages. No, the point is more like it was expressed: for GNU packages to borrow any parts of code or documentation from other packages, the licensing must be compatible. > Let us drop any requirement specifying a license for document (but > especially forcing GFDL) as a requirement for hosting on non-GNU > Savannah, replacing it with a simple suggestion, such as: > > Documentation for your program must be provided under GFLD, or a GPL > compatible software license, or any other copy-left license of your > choosing. We recommend GFDL, which is the preferred software license > of the GNU project. If we allow arbitrary copyleft licenses, the possibilities for official GNU software to use it will be very limited; generally, documentation under incompatible licenses will have to be written again, and it's much less fun than to rewrite programs.
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