From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert J. Chassell" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel,gmane.emacs.xemacs.beta Subject: Re: Permission to use portions of the recent GNU Emacs Manual Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:03:49 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: References: Reply-To: bob@rattlesnake.com NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1102817481 27251 80.91.229.6 (12 Dec 2004 02:11:21 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 02:11:21 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Dec 12 03:11:15 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1CdJCd-0007om-00 for ; Sun, 12 Dec 2004 03:11:15 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.33) id 1CdJMe-0002Ng-S4 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:21:36 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.33) id 1CdJMN-0002NH-VO for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:21:20 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.33) id 1CdJMM-0002Mm-Vn for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:21:19 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.33) id 1CdJMM-0002Mc-No for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:21:18 -0500 Original-Received: from [69.168.110.189] (helo=rattlesnake.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1CdJAM-00054v-SC for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:08:55 -0500 Original-Received: by rattlesnake.com via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.115) Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:03:49 -0500 (EST) Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org, xemacs-beta@xemacs.org In-reply-to: (message from Alan Mackenzie on Sat, 11 Dec 2004 10:27:39 +0000 (GMT)) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:31016 gmane.emacs.xemacs.beta:17409 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:31016 What is the purpose of the GFDL? The prime purpose of the GFDL is to encourage more publishers to provide commercial, free documentation. Publishers have told me that they are afraid that without some kind of legal obligation to publish a few words on the front and back covers they will be ripped off by free riders. Were they to invest in gathering people's attention, others would benefit. So they did not invest in providing commercial, free documentation. The strategy may be wrong. Businesses may not compete with one another. They may not care whether they lose revenue to free riders and others. But I do not think so. (Indeed, most of the free works I see nowadays in commercial publications are under more restrictive `Creative Commons' licenses, so there is an argument that the GFDL is not restrictive enough.) >>From my knowledge, many businessmen fear that other businessmen will compete, one way or the other. For example, a long time ago Tim O'Reilly told me that he believed that powerful people in Macmillan hoped to destroy his publishing house before it became well established. Perhaps he was delusional. Or perhaps he was correct. I think he was more likely correct than wrong. In any event, others have said the same. The GFDL is designed to reduce the benefits to free riders. That is its prime purpose. (It has secondary purposes, too, like enabling people to write personal introductions that legally will remain invariant.) As I said, there is short term evidence that the GFDL is insufficiently restrictive; but I do not see how it could be made more restrictive and still be free in any meaningful sense. It is not pleasant to live in a world where good guys are hurt by bad guys, but that the way the world is. -- Robert J. Chassell bob@rattlesnake.com GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 http://www.rattlesnake.com http://www.teak.cc