[Bf-docboard] Some infos on Debian

[Felix Rabe]

Hi there.

XForms, LyX
===========

In the current update to my Debian Sid installation, I found libforms
packages, mentioning XForms in their description.  I digged in my memory
somewhat, turned to www.lyx.org, and found that XForms was exactly the
library that disabled usage of the official LyX software in a
(restrictively installed) free software environment.

This no longer seems to be the case, as I only use the 'main' branch of
Debian (which only includes free software as per the definition of
Debian, which the FSF hasn't much to complain about), and the package
showed up there.  On http://people.debian.org/~psg/ , you find more
information about that.

Or ... better here: ;o)

http://bob.usuhs.mil/mailserv/list-archives/xforms-archive/0533.html
ftp://ncmir.ucsd.edu/pub/xforms/OpenSource/README-1.0-release

So XForms is now LGPL.  Cool! 8)

I'll try LyX out as soon as its packages are available in Debian's
'main' branch as well.  (Don't know whether the upstream maintainers
need to do some porting first.)  Even with the danger to become a
(La)TeX crack ;).

Debian and the GNU FDL
======================

A few days (weeks?) ago, in a DWN (through lwn.net), I've read about
Debian not being able to include documentation licensed under the new
version of the GNU FDL (1.2, released in November 2002) in the 'main'
branch.  (So either Debian is even more restrictive on the definition of
free software, or the GNU FDL is a "beta" license ;o) .)  Another tough
reason to exclude this license from further discussion for Blender
Documentation.  But this still does not mean I would agree on the OCL
for most of the docs.

----

Greetings,
Felix