Re: GFDL/GPL issues

[Joe Buck <Joe dot Buck at synopsys dot COM>]

On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 04:36:46PM -0700, Mark Mitchell wrote:
> Steven Bosscher wrote:
> 
> >> 2. Can we move GPL'd code into GFDL'd manuals, or copy text from GFDL's
> >> manuals into GPL'd code, or auto-generated GFDL's manuals from GPL'd code?
> >>
> >> This got complicated; see previous postings.  But, it's not relevant to
> >> your question, since you're not trying to do that.
> > 
> > I would like to do this for the constraints.md files, but it's not
> > clear to me right now whether this is allowed or not. What do you
> > think?
> 
> I think it's allowed, but not a good idea, due to the fact that I think
> it creates a "trap" for people.
> 
> The FSF has said that it's OK for *us* to do it, in the FSF repository,
> because the FSF can itself relicense code.  But, it's said that it's not
> OK for third parties to do it, because they can't.  And, the natural way
> for us to do it is via generator programs.  This creates a situation
> where a third party could rerun the generator program and end up with
> something they couldn't distribute.  That seems very tricky to me.
> 
> I believe that the only real fix here is (a) for the FSF to abandon the
> GFDL, and relicense manuals under the GPL, or (b) for the FSF to add an
> exception to the GFDL, making it compatible with the GPL in some way.
> However, I have no evidence that the FSF is considering either of these
> ideas; RMS didn't provide encouraging feedback when I made such suggestions.

RMS is unlikely to abandon the GFDL because the features that many object
to as non-free are intentionally chosen, in part to make sure that he can
get his message out even in situations where a distributor would not agree
with that message.  I think he hasn't gotten over ESR's attempts in the
late 90s to write him out of history, so he thinks he has to force people
to carry his message along with the GNU tools.

However, if we have text that is entirely generated from a GPL program
by some kind of generator program, that text can be distributed under
the GPL.  It just can't be combined with GFDL text, except by "mere
aggregation" (you can print the two "manuals" one after the other as
chapters, or publish them both from the same web site).

RMS didn't object to what he called a "cross reference" or an "index",
generated this way, to be distributed under the GPL.

Not a great solution, but perhaps it can be made to work for a while.