(libc.info.gz) Free Manuals

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