Re: Proper use of FDL

[Eric Baudais <drake x8b4e5002 dhcp okstate edu>]

On Thu, Sep 21, 2000 at 01:01:13AM -0500, Dan Mueth wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> We discussed using the FDL in documents which are shipped as part of GNOME
> previously on this list, although we did not quite finish that discussion
> or update the templates.  I believe the remaining questions are "where do
> we put the fdl.sgml file so other documents can link to it?" and "what is
> the URL we should use in our link?".  I believe the suggested answers were
> "gnome-libs, which installs it in $PREFIX/gnome/help/fdl" and
> "gnome-help:fdl". Does this sound good to everybody?

I'd also like to see the fdl in $PREFIX/gnome/help/fdl/C.

> For stand-alone documents, such as documents which are put onto web pages
> (eg. the developer docs on d.g.o., the FAQ's, etc.), we should include a
> copy of the FDL as an appendix.  This is done easily using entities.  We
> also have to update the legalnotice to direct the reader to the appendix
> instead of the FSF web page and mailing address as we did in the past.

My version of the FDL is in appendix form and is ready to be inserted into 
a doc as an entity too.
 
> I just noticed that the FSF has a copy of the FDL in DocBook format
> intended to be used as an entity at http://www.fsf.org/copyleft/fdl.html.  
> Does anybody have a preference as to whether we use the FSF's copy or the
> copy Eric made for us?

I have looked over the DocBook version on www.fsf.org and don't like some 
things.

1) They don't use character entities.  The copyright symbol is (C) instead 
   of using © which gives a much nicer symbol.

2) They use a blockquote at the beginning for metadata which should all go 
   into the <docinfo> tag.

3) There are *no* internal links.

4) The use "s instead of the <quote> tag.

I believe that the FSF's markup of the FDL is the minimal amount of markup 
that you can use and still call the markup DocBook.  I also do not think 
that using our own markup of the FDL is going against the license because 
the license is copied verbatim.

I would like to see that we use the markup of the FDL already in CVS at
gnome-docu/gdp.

Eric Baudais