[Bf-docboard] OCL vs FDL

[Ramanan Selvaratnam]

On Tuesday 26 November 2002 18:27, Felix Rabe wrote:

>
> > I am not sure whether OCL in texinfo format will qualify as libre docs.
>
> I think it will not.  If a license is non-free, the format cannot make
> the document free.

Agreed. Thanks for clearing this doubt. I was not too sure about the OCL.

>
> > To qualify as truly libre documentation the licence will have to be free
> > (GFDL) and the format too. Sadly the Docbook DTD is not free from my
> > understandings.
>
> How is this possible?  I would be a really bad law student if

Ooops, I seem to be outdated and misleading here. 
My understanding might have been limited too.
Sorry.
The point I would like to clarify is that the DTD is different from the 
format. The Wiki at 
<http://docbook.org/wiki/moin.cgi/formats> says,
'You can use DocBookPublishingTools to generate a variety of output formats 
from your DocBook source documents, including.....
 Microsoft HTMLHelp' among others! . 

Nevertheless it is interesting to see that a stylesheet exists to create 
Texinfo format documents. This could proove to be*another* totally free 
method to produce libre documentation.

> http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd would carry a
> notice that would even just make it incompatible with the GNU GPL - I
> think it is even compatible with the GNU GPL.

Interesting as Microsoft is featured in the animated GIF of the homepage for 
[oasis-open.org].

>
> Also, http://www.gnupress.org/potentialauthors.html mentions DocBook
> without any negative comment about it.  The FSF would not tolerate such
> a link on their website if the format was non-free.

Hmmm,  'DocBook may also be used' is what I read. Texinfo is the preferred 
standard.

Could it be to do with the fact DocBook is particularly well suited to books 
and papers about computer hardware and software?
GNUPress is trying to publish books that fall into  a ''Philosophy of 
Software Freedom Series'' for an example.


For Blender (atleast right now) we need to think in terms of manuals only.

Anyhow, definitely one more question for the FSF here.

<http://www.oreilly.com/ask_tim/orabooks_os.html>  an article from 1998 was a 
good read to understand the changes FSF is making w.r.t documentation.
After Felix pointing out flaws in my argument I visited [docbook.org] and was 
glad to see positive changes at <http://www.docbook.org/tdg/en/>.
there is an alpha version of the guide, version  2.x.x, GFDLed!

Regards,

Ram