Package: doc-base
Version: 0.7.21
Severity: wishlist
The social contract version 1.1, as contained in this package and as
published in the web site, states that:
1. Debian will remain 100% free
We provide the guidelines that we use to determine if a work is
"free" in the document entitled "The Debian Free Software
Guidelines". We promise that the Debian system and all its
components will be free according to these guidelines. We will
support people who create or use both free and non-free works on
Debian.
It is stated that "We provide the guidelines that we use to determine
if a work is "free" in the document entitled "The Debian Free Software
Guidelines". This is regardless of the kind of work. The Debian Free
Software Guidelines (also contained in the Social Contract) are Software
Guidelines, not documentation guidelines.
The following is from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html
(Free Software and Free Manuals):
BEGIN QUOTE:
The criterion for a free manual is pretty much the same as for free
software: it is a matter of giving all users certain freedoms.
Redistribution (including commercial redistribution) must be permitted,
so that the manual can accompany every copy of the program, on-line or
on paper. Permission for modification is crucial too.
[...]
While a blanket prohibition on modification is unacceptable, some kinds of
limits on the method of modification pose no problem. For example, requirements
to preserve the original author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or
the list of authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
to include notice that they were modified, even to have entire sections that
may not be deleted or changed, as long as these sections deal with nontechnical
topics. (Some GNU manuals have them.)
These kinds of restrictions are not a problem because, as a practical matter,
they don't stop the conscientious programmer from adapting the manual to fit
the modified program. In other words, they don't block the free software
community from making full use of the manual.
Unfortunately, it is often hard to find someone to write another manual when a
proprietary manual exists. The obstacle is that many users think that a
proprietary manual is good enough—so they don't see the need to write a free
manual. They do not see that the free operating system has a gap that needs
filling.
END QUOTE.
The text quoted exposes very eloquently that, in documentation,
preserving the original author's copyright note, distribution
terms, or the list of authors is ok. This is specifical to
documentation since, as it is explained before, documentation includes
them in the documentation itself, while in software they are usually in
a separate file. Indeed, when copyright notes are in the source code
and the license permits modification of the source code, a note is
usually included in the license requiring the copyright notes,
disclaimers and license notes to be left unmodified. To this end the
GNU Free Documentation License permits the existence of Invariant
sections and cover texts in the documentation it licenses.
>From the GNU Free Documentation License v1.3:
BEGIN QUOTE:
1. APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS
[...]
A "Secondary Section" is a named appendix or a front-matter section of
the Document that deals exclusively with the relationship of the
publishers or authors of the Document to the Document's overall subject
(or to related matters) and contains nothing that could fall directly
within that overall subject. (Thus, if the Document is in part a
textbook of mathematics, a Secondary Section may not explain any
mathematics.) The relationship could be a matter of historical
connection with the subject or with related matters, or of legal,
commercial, philosophical, ethical or political position regarding them.
The "Invariant Sections" are certain Secondary Sections whose titles are
designated, as being those of Invariant Sections, in the notice that
says that the Document is released under this License. If a section does
not fit the above definition of Secondary then it is not allowed to be
designated as Invariant. The Document may contain zero Invariant
Sections. If the Document does not identify any Invariant Sections then
there are none.
The "Cover Texts" are certain short passages of text that are listed, as
Front-Cover Texts or Back-Cover Texts, in the notice that says that the
Document is released under this License. A Front-Cover Text may be at most 5
words, and a Back-Cover Text may be at most 25 words.
[...]
The Document may include Warranty Disclaimers next to the notice which states
that this License applies to the Document. These Warranty Disclaimers are
considered to be included by reference in this License, but only as regards
disclaiming warranties: any other implication that these Warranty Disclaimers
may have is void and has no effect on the meaning of this License.
[...]
2. VERBATIM COPYING
You may copy and distribute the Document in any medium, either commercially or
noncommercially, provided that this License, the copyright notices, and the
license notice saying this License applies to the Document are reproduced in
all copies, and that you add no other conditions whatsoever to those of this
License. You may not use technical measures to obstruct or control the reading
or further copying of the copies you make or distribute. However, you may
accept compensation in exchange for copies. If you distribute a large enough
number of copies you must also follow the conditions in section 3.
You may also lend copies, under the same conditions stated above, and you may
publicly display copies.
[...]
3. COPYING IN QUANTITY
If you publish printed copies (or copies in media that commonly have printed
covers) of the Document, numbering more than 100, and the Document's license
notice requires Cover Texts, you must enclose the copies in covers that carry,
clearly and legibly, all these Cover Texts: Front-Cover Texts on the front
cover, and Back-Cover Texts on the back cover. Both covers must also clearly
and legibly identify you as the publisher of these copies. The front cover must
present the full title with all words of the title equally prominent and
visible. You may add other material on the covers in addition. Copying with
changes limited to the covers, as long as they preserve the title of the
Document and satisfy these conditions, can be treated as verbatim copying in
other respects.
[...]
Modified Version:
A. Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title distinct from that
of the Document, and from those of previous versions (which should, if there
were any, be listed in the History section of the Document). You may use the
same title as a previous version if the original publisher of that version
gives permission.
B. List on the Title Page, as authors, one or more persons or entities
responsible for authorship of the modifications in the Modified Version,
together with at least five of the principal authors of the Document (all of
its principal authors, if it has fewer than five), unless they release you from
this requirement.
C. State on the Title page the name of the publisher of the Modified Version,
as the publisher.
D. Preserve all the copyright notices of the Document.
E. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications adjacent to the
other copyright notices.
F. Include, immediately after the copyright notices, a license notice giving
the public permission to use the Modified Version under the terms of this
License, in the form shown in the Addendum below.
G. Preserve in that license notice the full lists of Invariant Sections and
required Cover Texts given in the Document's license notice.
H. Include an unaltered copy of this License.
I. Preserve the section Entitled "History", Preserve its Title, and add to it
an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the
Modified Version as given on the Title Page. If there is no section Entitled
"History" in the Document, create one stating the title, year, authors, and
publisher of the Document as given on its Title Page, then add an item
describing the Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence.
J. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document for public
access to a Transparent copy of the Document, and likewise the network
locations given in the Document for previous versions it was based on. These
may be placed in the "History" section. You may omit a network location for a
work that was published at least four years before the Document itself, or if
the original publisher of the version it refers to gives permission.
K. For any section Entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications", Preserve the
Title of the section, and preserve in the section all the substance and tone of
each of the contributor acknowledgements and/or dedications given therein.
L. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered in their text
and in their titles. Section numbers or the equivalent are not considered part
of the section titles.
M. Delete any section Entitled "Endorsements". Such a section may not be
included in the Modified Version.
N. Do not retitle any existing section to be Entitled "Endorsements" or to
conflict in title with any Invariant Section.
O. Preserve any Warranty Disclaimers.
[...]
You may add a passage of up to five words as a Front-Cover Text, and a passage
of up to 25 words as a Back-Cover Text, to the end of the list of Cover Texts
in the Modified Version. Only one passage of Front-Cover Text and one of
Back-Cover Text may be added by (or through arrangements made by) any one
entity. If the Document already includes a cover text for the same cover,
previously added by you or by arrangement made by the same entity you are
acting on behalf of, you may not add another; but you may replace the old one,
on explicit permission from the previous publisher that added the old one.
[...]
Replacing Invariant Sections with translations requires special permission from
their copyright holders, but you may include translations of some or all
Invariant Sections in addition to the original versions of these Invariant
Sections. You may include a translation of this License, and all the license
notices in the Document, and any Warranty Disclaimers, provided that you also
include the original English version of this License and the original versions
of those notices and disclaimers. In case of a disagreement between the
translation and the original version of this License or a notice or disclaimer,
the original version will prevail.
[...]
ADDENDUM: How to use this License for your documents
[...]
If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, we recommend
releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free software
license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit their use in free
software.
END QUOTE.
The text in the social contract imposes the Software guidelines to work
that is not software (documentation or anything else.) The Policy
Manual does the same by stating that "Every package in _main_ must
comply with the DFSG (Debian Free Software Guidelines)", regardless of
whether the package is software or not.
I am therefore requesting that the social contract be changed so that
software guidelines are not applied to documentation. If such a change
is made, a similar change shall be made to the Debian Policy Manual, so
that it doesn't apply the DFSG as well exclusively.
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