Re: [Firebird-docs] Licenses (was: Mac OSX HOWTO)

[Paul V. <pa...@vi...>]

Hi David,

> When I started the document, my understanding was that it *must* be
> released under the GPL licence, because it was *derived* from
> another GPL licenced document (Firebird Database on Linux by Pascal
> Chong).

That's right, you had no choice there.

Actually, what I meant (but forgot to mention) when I talked about
licences was: licences for the documents we produce "here" in the
Firebird CVS manual module. If we don't want to make things
unnecessarily complicated, they should be governed by only one
licence, and that licence should IMO preferably be the IDPL (given
the fact that we already have IDPL'd docs in the module).

Your manuals are made outside of the project and published on your own
website, so it's up to you how you license them (well, if you have a
choice at all, that is :-))

For docs produced outside of the manual module but donated to the
project for publication on the Firebird website (yes, I know we can do
that with any GDPL'd docs too) it would be *nice* if they also had the
same licence as ours. It would make it easier for us to include them
in distributions, and it would also make it easier for the users of
those distributions to understand the conditions.

> My preference would have been to release this document under a
> Creative Commons license, effectively making it public domain and
> allowing others to extend/modify/reproduce the document provided
> credit is given to the originator.
> The CC licenses are in my view, simpler and easier to understand
> than many of the open-source licences (GPL/LGPL/MPL etc) and their
> derivatives.
> More details on CC licences can be found at
> http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/ ... check it out.

They look nice and simple indeed, but my impression is that they are
designed primarily for more artistic works. Like Philippe already
said, the CC site recommends the GFDL for software docs.


Greetings,
Paul Vinkenoog