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4 The biggest deficiency in free operating systems is not in the
5 software--it is the lack of good free manuals that we can include in
6 these systems. Many of our most important programs do not come with
7 full manuals. Documentation is an essential part of any software
8 package; when an important free software package does not come with a
9 free manual, that is a major gap. We have many such gaps today.
11 Once upon a time, many years ago, I thought I would learn Perl. I got
12 a copy of a free manual, but I found it hard to read. When I asked
13 Perl users about alternatives, they told me that there were better
14 introductory manuals--but those were not free.
16 Why was this? The authors of the good manuals had written them for
17 O'Reilly Associates, which published them with restrictive terms--no
18 copying, no modification, source files not available--which exclude
19 them from the free software community.
21 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing has happened, and (to
22 our community's great loss) it was far from the last. Proprietary
23 manual publishers have enticed a great many authors to restrict their
24 manuals since then. Many times I have heard a GNU user eagerly tell
25 me about a manual that he is writing, with which he expects to help
26 the GNU project--and then had my hopes dashed, as he proceeded to
27 explain that he had signed a contract with a publisher that would
28 restrict it so that we cannot use it.
30 Given that writing good English is a rare skill among programmers, we
31 can ill afford to lose manuals this way.
33 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom,
34 not price. The problem with these manuals was not that O'Reilly
35 Associates charged a price for printed copies--that in itself is fine.
36 (The Free Software Foundation <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/doc/doc.html" target="_top">sells printed copies</a> of
37 free GNU manuals, too.) But GNU manuals are available in source code
38 form, while these manuals are available only on paper. GNU manuals
39 come with permission to copy and modify; the Perl manuals do not.
40 These restrictions are the problems.
42 The criterion for a free manual is pretty much the same as for free
43 software: it is a matter of giving all users certain freedoms.
44 Redistribution (including commercial redistribution) must be
45 permitted, so that the manual can accompany every copy of the program,
46 on-line or on paper. Permission for modification is crucial too.
48 As a general rule, I don't believe that it is essential for people to
49 have permission to modify all sorts of articles and books. The issues
50 for writings are not necessarily the same as those for software. For
51 example, I don't think you or I are obliged to give permission to
52 modify articles like this one, which describe our actions and our
55 But there is a particular reason why the freedom to modify is crucial
56 for documentation for free software. When people exercise their right
57 to modify the software, and add or change its features, if they are
58 conscientious they will change the manual too--so they can provide
59 accurate and usable documentation with the modified program. A manual
60 which forbids programmers to be conscientious and finish the job, or
61 more precisely requires them to write a new manual from scratch if
62 they change the program, does not fill our community's needs.
64 While a blanket prohibition on modification is unacceptable, some
65 kinds of limits on the method of modification pose no problem. For
66 example, requirements to preserve the original author's copyright
67 notice, the distribution terms, or the list of authors, are ok. It is
68 also no problem to require modified versions to include notice that
69 they were modified, even to have entire sections that may not be
70 deleted or changed, as long as these sections deal with nontechnical
71 topics. (Some GNU manuals have them.)
73 These kinds of restrictions are not a problem because, as a practical
74 matter, they don't stop the conscientious programmer from adapting the
75 manual to fit the modified program. In other words, they don't block
76 the free software community from making full use of the manual.
78 However, it must be possible to modify all the <span class="emphasis"><em>technical</em></span>
79 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
80 media, through all the usual channels; otherwise, the restrictions do
81 block the community, the manual is not free, and so we need another
84 Unfortunately, it is often hard to find someone to write another
85 manual when a proprietary manual exists. The obstacle is that many
86 users think that a proprietary manual is good enough--so they don't
87 see the need to write a free manual. They do not see that the free
88 operating system has a gap that needs filling.
90 Why do users think that proprietary manuals are good enough? Some
91 have not considered the issue. I hope this article will do something
94 Other users consider proprietary manuals acceptable for the same
95 reason so many people consider proprietary software acceptable: they
96 judge in purely practical terms, not using freedom as a criterion.
97 These people are entitled to their opinions, but since those opinions
98 spring from values which do not include freedom, they are no guide for
99 those of us who do value freedom.
101 Please spread the word about this issue. We continue to lose manuals
102 to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that proprietary
103 manuals are not sufficient, perhaps the next person who wants to help
104 GNU by writing documentation will realize, before it is too late, that
105 he must above all make it free.
107 We can also encourage commercial publishers to sell free, copylefted
108 manuals instead of proprietary ones. One way you can help this is to
109 check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it, and
110 prefer copylefted manuals to non-copylefted ones.
112 [Note: We now maintain a <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing/doc/other-free-books.html" target="_top">web page
113 that lists free books available from other publishers</a>].
114 </p><p>Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA</p><p>Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
115 permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
116 notice is preserved.</p><p>Report any problems or suggestions to <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:webmaster@fsf.org">webmaster@fsf.org</a>></code>.</p></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="backwards.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="spine.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="bk01apd.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Backwards Compatibility </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../spine.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Appendix D. GNU General Public License</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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