GFDL concerns: Difference between revisions

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{{TOC right}}<!-- The author/contributor puts this material in the Public Domain. -->
{{TOC right}}<!-- The author/contributor puts this material in the Public Domain. -->
'''GFDL concerns''' — the idea behind '''[[GNU Free Documentation License]]''' ('''GFDL''', '''GNU FDL''') is:–  to make material public, freely available, in a [[:Category:Law|legalistic]], enforceable way.  The purpose of [[:Category:Copyright|copyright]], as manifested in the [[:Category:United States of America|United States of America]] (USA) currently, is to restrict usage, to give the [[owner]] maximal control in perpetuity.  GFDL is anti-copyright, an attempt to use the legal system and intellectual traditions to create a new class of material that is explicitly owned by us all in common, in perpetuity.  Derived works of many sorts are supposed to be facilitated, with the proviso that they all must be made equally {{tag|Free content|free}} and available for future derived uses.
'''GFDL concerns''' — the idea behind '''[[GNU Free Documentation License]]''' ('''GFDL''', or '''GNU FDL''') is:–  to make material public, freely available, in a [[:Category:Law|legalistic]], enforceable way.  The purpose of [[:Category:Copyright|copyright]], as manifested in the [[:Category:United States of America|United States of America]] (USA) currently, is to restrict usage, to give the [[owner]] maximal control in perpetuity.  GFDL is anti-copyright, an attempt to use the legal system and intellectual traditions to create a new class of material that is explicitly owned by us all in common, in perpetuity.  Derived works of many sorts are supposed to be facilitated, with the proviso that they all must be made equally {{tag|Free content|free}} and available for future derived uses.


But there seem to be serious problems with carrying out this general concept for [[:Category:Wiki|wikis]], with little sign that the problems are being addressed, either by those using GFDL; or by the creators of the GFDL.  Are the creators learning from how things are working out and trying to fix the problems?
But there seem to be serious problems with carrying out this general concept for [[:Category:Wiki|wikis]], with little sign that the problems are being addressed, either by those using GFDL; or by the creators of the GFDL.  Are the creators learning from how things are working out and trying to fix the problems?
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The main problems with GFDL {{tag|GNU license}} stem from the fact that it does not just create one giant pool of undifferentiated GFDL material.  If it did, all GFDL [[user]]s could simply keep all GFDL material properly segregated.  But GFDL contemplates an audit trail, with regard to the history, [[Editor|authors]], dedication annotations, etc of the material.  A simple concept.  More feasible with contemporary computers than previously.  But still almost impossible to actually implement fully.
The main problems with GFDL {{tag|GNU license}} stem from the fact that it does not just create one giant pool of undifferentiated GFDL material.  If it did, all GFDL [[user]]s could simply keep all GFDL material properly segregated.  But GFDL contemplates an audit trail, with regard to the history, [[Editor|authors]], dedication annotations, etc of the material.  A simple concept.  More feasible with contemporary computers than previously.  But still almost impossible to actually implement fully.


Currently, many [[:Category:Websites|websites]] take GFDL material without properly acknowledging it.  This is being addressed, e.g. by [[:Category:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]] sending legalistic notices to abusers.  Many websites take GFDL material and make some efforts to acknowledge it, in many cases not in as much detail as perhaps they should.  But no websites seem to take such material and keep track of it in as much detail as the concept actually requires.  The nub of the problem is successive copying.  Sites that take GFDL material merely point to the source, adequate as long as the source is intact and available, and as long as the material is not passed on.  But if a series of a dozen sites pass the material on to the next, and each one simply provides some references to the previous immediate source, the whole concept falls apart, as a practical matter, in terms of having a definite, dependable audit trail to the original authors, history, and dedications.  And if the material is substantially modified, at each intervening website, the challenges multiply.
Currently, many [[:Category:Website|websites]] take GFDL material without properly acknowledging it.  This is being addressed, e.g. by [[:Category:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]] sending legalistic notices to abusers.  Many websites take GFDL material and make some efforts to acknowledge it, in many cases not in as much detail as perhaps they should.  But no websites seem to take such material and keep track of it in as much detail as the concept actually requires.  The nub of the problem is successive copying.  Sites that take GFDL material merely point to the source, adequate as long as the source is intact and available, and as long as the material is not passed on.  But if a series of a dozen sites pass the material on to the next, and each one simply provides some references to the previous immediate source, the whole concept falls apart, as a practical matter, in terms of having a definite, dependable audit trail to the original authors, history, and dedications.  And if the material is substantially modified, at each intervening website, the challenges multiply.


But even that case is relatively minor.  It would be possible, both conceptually and technically, to actually keep passing on an ever more complex associated history package, even if that meant in most cases that the auxiliary material was orders of magnitude larger than the main content.
But even that case is relatively minor.  It would be possible, both conceptually and technically, to actually keep passing on an ever more complex associated history package, even if that meant in most cases that the auxiliary material was orders of magnitude larger than the main content.
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*[[:Category: Wiki GNU Free Documentation License]] — for those wikis catalogued here on [[WikiIndex]] using the GFDL
*[[:Category: Wiki GNU Free Documentation License]] — for those wikis catalogued here on [[WikiIndex]] using the GFDL
*[[Template: GFDL]] — for tagging GFDL licensed images uploaded here on to WikiIndex
*[[Template: GFDL]] — for tagging GFDL licensed images uploaded here on to WikiIndex
*[https://www.GNU.org/copyleft/fdl.html GNU Free Documentation License] Version 1.2, November 2002 — at GNU.org
*[https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html GNU Free Documentation License] Version 1.2, November 2002 — at GNU.org
*{{Wp|GNU Free Documentation License}} article — at [[English Wikipedia]]
*{{Wp|GNU Free Documentation License}} article — at [[English Wikipedia]]
*{{Wp|Talk:GNU Free Documentation License}} — at English Wikipedia
*{{Wp|Talk:GNU Free Documentation License}} — at English Wikipedia
*[[Archive.org:20081028135056/http://home.twcny.rr.com/nerode/neroden/fdl.html|Why you shouldn't use the GNU FDL]] — by Nathanael Nerode, 2003 (CC-PD)
*[[Archive.org:20081028135056/http://home.twcny.rr.com/nerode/neroden/fdl.html|Why you shouldn't use the GNU FDL]] — by Nathanael Nerode, 2003 (CC-PD)
*[https://GPLv3.FSF.org/sfdl-draft-2006-09-26.html GNU Simpler Free Documentation License] — SFDLv1: Discussion Draft 1 of Version 1, 25 September 2006, at FSF.org
*[https://gplv3.fsf.org/sfdl-draft-2006-09-26.html GNU Simpler Free Documentation License] — SFDLv1: Discussion Draft 1 of Version 1, 25 September 2006, at FSF.org
*{{Wp|GNU Simpler Free Documentation License}} — at English Wikipedia
*{{Wp|GNU Simpler Free Documentation License}} — at English Wikipedia
*{{Wp|Copyleft}} — at English Wikipedia
*{{Wp|Copyleft}} — at English Wikipedia