www/philosophy free-system-distribution-guideli...

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /webcvs/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       09/02/28 00:01:37

Modified files:
        philosophy     : free-system-distribution-guidelines.html 

Log message:
        Say all useful info must be available as source.
        Use "steer user toward".
        Explain rule against names that cause confusion with non-free distros.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.13&r2=1.14

Patches:
Index: free-system-distribution-guidelines.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/philosophy/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html,v
retrieving revision 1.13
retrieving revision 1.14
diff -u -b -r1.13 -r1.14
--- free-system-distribution-guidelines.html    7 Jan 2009 22:02:27 -0000       
1.13
+++ free-system-distribution-guidelines.html    28 Feb 2009 00:01:34 -0000      
1.14
@@ -34,14 +34,17 @@
 <div class="section">
 <h3 id="license-rules">License Rules</h3>
 <p>All information for practical use in a free distribution must be
-released under an appropriate free license.  We list the ones we have
+available in source form.  ("Source" means the form of the information that is 
preferred for making changes to it.)</p>
+
+<p>The information, and the source, must
+be provided under an appropriate free license.  We list the ones we have
 evaluated on <a class="reference" href="/licenses/license-list.html">our 
license list</a>, with separate sections for licenses
 that are suitable for software, documentation, fonts, and other useful
 works.  If such a work is released under multiple licenses, at least
 one of which is free, it can be included in the system; the system
 developers just need to follow the terms of the available free
 license(s) when they distribute and/or modify it.</p>
-<p>A free system distribution must not assist users in obtaining any
+<p>A free system distribution must not steer users towards obtaining any
 nonfree information for practical use, or encourage them to do so.
 There should be no repositories or ports for nonfree software.
 Programs in the system should not suggest installing nonfree plugins,
@@ -149,9 +152,20 @@
 </div>
 <div class="section">
 <h3 id="final-notes">Final Notes</h3>
-<p>We list the free system distributions we know about on <a class="reference" 
href="/links/links.html">our links page</a>.  If you know about one that
+
+<p>We list the free system distributions we know about
+on <a class="reference" href="/links/links.html">our links page</a>.
+If you know about a free distro that
 isn't listed there, please have the developers write to us at
-&lt;<a class="reference" 
href="mailto:gnu&#64;gnu.org";>gnu&#64;gnu.org</a>&gt;.  If you have questions 
or comments about these
+&lt;<a class="reference" href="mailto:gnu&#64;gnu.org";>gnu&#64;gnu.org</a>&gt;.
+
+<p>However, we will not list a distro whose name makes confusion with
+non-free distros likely.  Thus, if Foobar Light is a free distro and
+Foobar is a non-free distro, we will not list Foobar Light.  This is
+because we expect that the distinction between the two would be lost
+in the process of communicating this message.
+
+<p>If you have questions or comments about these
 guidelines themselves, feel free to send those to
 &lt;<a class="reference" 
href="mailto:licensing&#64;gnu.org";>licensing&#64;gnu.org</a>&gt;.  We hope 
this helps everyone better understand
 the issues that are important for free system distributions, and we
@@ -191,7 +205,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/01/07 22:02:27 $
+$Date: 2009/02/28 00:01:34 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>