tar: Free Software Needs Free Documentation

1 
1 Appendix G Free Software Needs Free Documentation
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1 
1 The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
1 the software--it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
1 include with the free software.  Many of our most important programs do
1 not come with free reference manuals and free introductory texts.
1 Documentation is an essential part of any software package; when an
1 important free software package does not come with a free manual and a
1 free tutorial, that is a major gap.  We have many such gaps today.
1 
1    Consider Perl, for instance.  The tutorial manuals that people
1 normally use are non-free.  How did this come about?  Because the
1 authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms--no
1 copying, no modification, source files not available--which exclude them
1 from the free software world.
1 
1    That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was
1 far from the last.  Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe
1 a manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
1 only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
1 contract to make it non-free.
1 
1    Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
1 price.  The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
1 charge a price for printed copies--that in itself is fine.  (The Free
1 Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.)  The problem
1 is the restrictions on the use of the manual.  Free manuals are
1 available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
1 modify.  Non-free manuals do not allow this.
1 
1    The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
1 free software.  Redistribution (including the normal kinds of commercial
1 redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can accompany
1 every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
1 
1    Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
1 When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
1 are conscientious they will change the manual too--so they can provide
1 accurate and clear documentation for the modified program.  A manual
1 that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document a
1 changed version of the program is not really available to our community.
1 
1    Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
1 acceptable.  For example, requirements to preserve the original author's
1 copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of authors, are
1 ok.  It is also no problem to require modified versions to include
1 notice that they were modified.  Even entire sections that may not be
1 deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal with
1 nontechnical topics (like this one).  These kinds of restrictions are
1 acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use of the
1 manual.
1 
1    However, it must be possible to modify all the _technical_ content of
1 the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual media,
1 through all the usual channels.  Otherwise, the restrictions obstruct
1 the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another manual to
1 replace it.
1 
1    Please spread the word about this issue.  Our community continues to
1 lose manuals to proprietary publishing.  If we spread the word that free
1 software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps the
1 next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
1 realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to the
1 free software community.
1 
1    If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it
1 under the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
1 license.  Remember that this decision requires your approval--you don't
1 have to let the publisher decide.  Some commercial publishers will use a
1 free license if you insist, but they will not propose the option; it is
1 up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is what you want.
1 If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please try other
1 publishers.  If you're not sure whether a proposed license is free,
1 write to <licensing@gnu.org>.
1 
1    You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
1 manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying copies
1 from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
1 improvements.  Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation at
1 all.  Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it, and
1 insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
1 Check the history of the book, and try reward the publishers that have
1 paid or pay the authors to work on it.
1 
1    The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
1 published by other publishers, at
1 <http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html>.
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