Libre DocumentationLibre Documentation By Tabatha Persad, tabatha3@attbi.com Libre Documentation and Libre Software Defined In order to better understand what is meant by the term "Libre Documentation," we need to explore what Libre means. To better illustrate this, let us look at the definition of Libre from a "Libre Software" standpoint. Libre Software is also known as "Free Software," but this is usually where the definition becomes skewed. What most people define as free software is not necessarily really free because it may be restricted, in that the user may not have access to the source code. The term "free" with respect to software and documentation is often misinterpreted to mean "gratis", or free of cost. In an open source community, this is not an accurate representation of free software, so instead, the term Libre is used. In Spanish and French, Libre, as opposed to Gratis, indicates liberty or freedom rather than price. In order for a software application to be considered Libre, these following conditions need to be met: The user has the liberty or freedom to run the program, for any purpose. The user has the liberty to understand how the program works and adapt it to his or her needs. This means the source code of the program is available to view and edit. The user has the liberty to make improvements to the software and release those improvements to the public, for the benefit of the entire community. The user has the liberty to redistribute copies or modified copies of the program. Likewise, for Libre Documentation, the same definition applies. Libre Documentation is documentation that one can copy or enhance as long as these inherent freedoms are met. In addition, for documentation to be classified as Libre, we need to consider the following: Documents should come with a human readable and editable source (html, txt, xml are ok, pdf dvi or ps are not, since they cannot be edited without proprietary software) They should be copylefted so that new versions can be created from the exisiting base, just like a software fork They may be sold, or given away - this freedom should not be impaired by additional requirements (such as 'no commercial printing allowed') Protecting Documentation and Software with Licenses In order to protect these freedoms, software licenses have been developed, to ensure that the software is able to meet the "Libre" qualifications. The license also protects these programs from becoming proprietary, or commercial, whereby the source code becomes closed off from the user. Licenses have also been developed for Libre Documentation, most notably the GNU Free Documentation License, or FDL. Other documentation licenses include the FreeBSD Documentation License, Apple's Common Documentation License, and the Open Publication License, however it must be stated that some are restrictive and not compatible with the GNU FDL. The GNU Free Documentation License states its purpose clearly in the preamble, which is quoted below: "0. PREAMBLE The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other written document "free" in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and the publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others. This license is a kind of "copyleft", which means that derivative works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense. It complements the GNU General Public License, which is a copyleft license designed for free software. We have designed this License in order to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation: a free program should come with manuals providing the same freedoms that the software does. But this License is not limited to software manuals; it can be used for any textual work, regardless of subject matter or whether it is published as a printed book. We recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is instruction or reference." Copyright vs. Copyleft Copyrights exist in order to protect authors of documentation or software from unauthorized copying or selling of their work. A copyright infers that only with the author's permission may such activities take place. A Copyleft, on the other hand, provides a method for software or documentation to be modified, and distributed back to the community, provided it remains Libre. In the case of Libre Documentation, an author can place his or her copyright into the document, and use distribution terms, such as those in the GNU Free Documentation License, which gives everyone the rights to use, modify, and redistribute the code, but only if those distribution terms remain unchanged. This ensures that the source code and the freedoms are legally inseparable. This is known as "copyleft". If a program or document was uncopyrighted and in the public domain, changes could be made and the program or document could be re-distributed as a proprietary product. The copyleft ensures that not only is the original source free, but that all modifications must be made free, and permission is granted for all who follow in modifying that same program or document, provided they abide by these terms. Applying a free software or free documentation license to an application or document qualifies the product as Libre, and protects the open source community at large from it becoming commercial or proprietary. Resources: The GWM Objectives,http://www.7un.net/gnu/index.php The GNU Free Documentation License,http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Categories of Free and Non-Free Software,http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html Various Licenses and Comments About Them,http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html Copyright: Copyright (c) 2002, Tabatha Persad, tabatha3@attbi.com Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License". GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.1, March 2000 Copyright (C) 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. 0. PREAMBLE The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other written document "free" in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others. This License is a kind of "copyleft", which means that derivative works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense. It complements the GNU General Public License, which is a copyleft license designed for free software. We have designed this License in order to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation: a free program should come with manuals providing the same freedoms that the software does. But this License is not limited to software manuals; it can be used for any textual work, regardless of subject matter or whether it is published as a printed book. We recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is instruction or reference. 1. APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS This License applies to any manual or other work that contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it can be distributed under the terms of this License. The "Document", below, refers to any such manual or work. Any member of the public is a licensee, and is addressed as "you". A "Modified Version" of the Document means any work containing the Document or a portion of it, either copied verbatim, or with modifications and/or translated into another language. 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