FDL again, was: My concerns about GPLv3 process

[Michael Kallas]

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Hi,
ams at gnu.org schrieb am 10.02.06 12:28:55:
>    There is no doubt that free software needs free documentation, even
>    FSF says this. If so, why does FSF allow restrictions to
>    modifications of documentation (using FDL) that does not allow for
>    software?
> 
> Because such restrictions make sense, you don't need the right to
> modify my thoughts about why I wrote the book, or to whom I dedicated
> the book.
You're talking about books but the argument was about, say, the the gcc
manual.
> 
>    There is people that thinks software is the conjuction of programs
>    and their documentation (and other thing, like images, etc.). For
>    example, Debian project seems to think this way.
> 
> Debian consideres _everything_ software, which is simply bogus.  Some
> images might make sense to have as verbatim only, same applies for
> many texts about philosophy, or even music recordings.  This does not
> apply to functional works, like software, where modification is an
> essential right.
And documentation of software belongs to the software itself as much
as the source code.
> 
> You don't need the right to modify my poem about dragons, or infact,
> this text.
Nobody said so.
> 
>    Why limit modification of documentation of a free program, if we do
>    not want that limit for the program itself and if the documentation
>    is necessary?
> 
> You aren't limited anywhere when you modify free documentation of a
> free program.  This is like saying that you are limited by the GPL to
> create non-free works, which is simply nonsense.
I could interpret your message as saying that GFDL was not free,
otherwise, its sense is unclear to me.

The main question I see about this was:
Why are manuals/docs of GNU GPLed programs not under GNU GPL license, a
license that is bullet-proof, easily understood (in comparison to GFDL,
at least) and also practically useful?

Best wishes
Michael


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