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2 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>Appendix C. Free Software Needs Free Documentation</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL-NS Stylesheets V1.78.1" /><meta name="keywords" content="ISO C++, library" /><meta name="keywords" content="ISO C++, runtime, library" /><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The GNU C++ Library" /><link rel="up" href="appendix.html" title="Part IV. Appendices" /><link rel="prev" href="backwards.html" title="Backwards Compatibility" /><link rel="next" href="appendix_gpl.html" title="Appendix D. GNU General Public License version 3" /></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Appendix C.
3 Free Software Needs Free Documentation
5 </th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="backwards.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Part IV.
6 Appendices
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8 Free Software Needs Free Documentation
10 </h1></div></div></div><p>
11 The biggest deficiency in free operating systems is not in the
12 software--it is the lack of good free manuals that we can include in
13 these systems. Many of our most important programs do not come with
14 full manuals. Documentation is an essential part of any software
15 package; when an important free software package does not come with a
16 free manual, that is a major gap. We have many such gaps today.
17 </p><p>
18 Once upon a time, many years ago, I thought I would learn Perl. I got
19 a copy of a free manual, but I found it hard to read. When I asked
20 Perl users about alternatives, they told me that there were better
21 introductory manuals--but those were not free.
22 </p><p>
23 Why was this? The authors of the good manuals had written them for
24 O'Reilly Associates, which published them with restrictive terms--no
25 copying, no modification, source files not available--which exclude
26 them from the free software community.
27 </p><p>
28 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing has happened, and (to
29 our community's great loss) it was far from the last. Proprietary
30 manual publishers have enticed a great many authors to restrict their
31 manuals since then. Many times I have heard a GNU user eagerly tell
32 me about a manual that he is writing, with which he expects to help
33 the GNU project--and then had my hopes dashed, as he proceeded to
34 explain that he had signed a contract with a publisher that would
35 restrict it so that we cannot use it.
36 </p><p>
37 Given that writing good English is a rare skill among programmers, we
38 can ill afford to lose manuals this way.
39 </p><p>
40 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom,
41 not price. The problem with these manuals was not that O'Reilly
42 Associates charged a price for printed copies--that in itself is fine.
43 (The Free Software Foundation <a class="link" href="http://www.gnu.org/doc/doc.html" target="_top">sells printed copies</a> of
44 free GNU manuals, too.) But GNU manuals are available in source code
45 form, while these manuals are available only on paper. GNU manuals
46 come with permission to copy and modify; the Perl manuals do not.
47 These restrictions are the problems.
48 </p><p>
49 The criterion for a free manual is pretty much the same as for free
50 software: it is a matter of giving all users certain freedoms.
51 Redistribution (including commercial redistribution) must be
52 permitted, so that the manual can accompany every copy of the program,
53 on-line or on paper. Permission for modification is crucial too.
54 </p><p>
55 As a general rule, I don't believe that it is essential for people to
56 have permission to modify all sorts of articles and books. The issues
57 for writings are not necessarily the same as those for software. For
58 example, I don't think you or I are obliged to give permission to
59 modify articles like this one, which describe our actions and our
60 views.
61 </p><p>
62 But there is a particular reason why the freedom to modify is crucial
63 for documentation for free software. When people exercise their right
64 to modify the software, and add or change its features, if they are
65 conscientious they will change the manual too--so they can provide
66 accurate and usable documentation with the modified program. A manual
67 which forbids programmers to be conscientious and finish the job, or
68 more precisely requires them to write a new manual from scratch if
69 they change the program, does not fill our community's needs.
70 </p><p>
71 While a blanket prohibition on modification is unacceptable, some
72 kinds of limits on the method of modification pose no problem. For
73 example, requirements to preserve the original author's copyright
74 notice, the distribution terms, or the list of authors, are ok. It is
75 also no problem to require modified versions to include notice that
76 they were modified, even to have entire sections that may not be
77 deleted or changed, as long as these sections deal with nontechnical
78 topics. (Some GNU manuals have them.)
79 </p><p>
80 These kinds of restrictions are not a problem because, as a practical
81 matter, they don't stop the conscientious programmer from adapting the
82 manual to fit the modified program. In other words, they don't block
83 the free software community from making full use of the manual.
84 </p><p>
86 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
87 media, through all the usual channels; otherwise, the restrictions do
88 block the community, the manual is not free, and so we need another
89 manual.
90 </p><p>
91 Unfortunately, it is often hard to find someone to write another
92 manual when a proprietary manual exists. The obstacle is that many
93 users think that a proprietary manual is good enough--so they don't
94 see the need to write a free manual. They do not see that the free
95 operating system has a gap that needs filling.
96 </p><p>
97 Why do users think that proprietary manuals are good enough? Some
98 have not considered the issue. I hope this article will do something
99 to change that.
100 </p><p>
101 Other users consider proprietary manuals acceptable for the same
102 reason so many people consider proprietary software acceptable: they
103 judge in purely practical terms, not using freedom as a criterion.
104 These people are entitled to their opinions, but since those opinions
105 spring from values which do not include freedom, they are no guide for
106 those of us who do value freedom.
107 </p><p>
108 Please spread the word about this issue. We continue to lose manuals
109 to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that proprietary
110 manuals are not sufficient, perhaps the next person who wants to help
111 GNU by writing documentation will realize, before it is too late, that
112 he must above all make it free.
113 </p><p>
114 We can also encourage commercial publishers to sell free, copylefted
115 manuals instead of proprietary ones. One way you can help this is to
116 check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it, and
117 prefer copylefted manuals to non-copylefted ones.
118 </p><p>
119 [Note: We now maintain a <a class="link" href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing/doc/other-free-books.html" target="_top">web page
120 that lists free books available from other publishers</a>].
121 </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
122 permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
123 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="appendix.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="appendix_gpl.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="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Appendix D.
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