Re: Using the GNU FDL

["Aaron Weber" <aaron helixcode com>]

RMS--
afaik, o'reilly is already doing so for a number of projects. yay!
a.
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Stallman <rms@santafe.edu>
To: gnome-doc-list@gnome.org <gnome-doc-list@gnome.org>
Date: Sunday, August 20, 2000 6:54 PM
Subject: Using the GNU FDL


>[This was also sent to info-gnu@gnu.org]
>
>If you know someone who is writing a manual about free software, and
>looking towards commercial publication, you have a chance to help the
>Free Software Movement a great deal with a small amount of work: by
>suggesting the idea of publishing the manual under the GNU Free
>Documentation License.
>
>Until recently, commercial book publication almost always implied a
>non-free book.  But just as free commercial software has been
>increasing for a while, now free commercial documentation is starting
>to take off as well.  Some of the major commercial publishers of
>documentation about the GNU/Linux system, and about free software in
>general, are now willing to publish books under the GNU FDL, and pay
>the authors in the usual way--IF the authors are firm about this.
>
>But publishers are likely to first propose an ordinary proprietary
>book.  And if the authors agree, that's what it will be.  So it is
>essential for authors to take the lead; to say, "We want to use the
>GNU FDL for this book".  So when your friend mentions writing a
>manual, you can influence the course of events simply by pointing out
>this possibility.
>
>If a publisher rejects the request at first, the GNU Project may be
>able to help the authors prevail.  They can contact us at gnu@gnu.org.
>
>There are other legitimate free documentation licenses, but sometimes
>using them requires care.  For example, one license is equipped with
>two optional clauses that can be enabled; the license is free if
>neither optional clause is used, but enabling either of them makes the
>book non-free.  (See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html.)
>Authors that want to publish free documentation, but using a license
>other than the GNU FDL, can contact us so we can check that the
>license really qualifies for free documentation.
>
>When a commercial manual is free and relates to the GNU system, the
>GNU Project can recommend it to the public.  So if the authors or
>publisher set up a web page to describe it and/or sell copies, we can
>make a link to that page from www.gnu.org, provided the page meets our
>usual criteria (for instance, it should not link to other pages about
>non-free software or documentation, and should not be obnoxious about
>trying to persuade people to buy).  Please inform webmasters@gnu.org
>about such pages.
>
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