Subject: Re: Yggdrasil and LDP
From: Greenfie <[email-masked]>
To: Linux Documentation Project writers <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 1995 20:44:20 -0400

All quoted material from [email-masked]:
[...]

   That is one way of looking at it. However, my own dealings with
   Yggdrasil and RMS have made me sour about the issue; they seem to
   be "bullying" us into changing our copyrights, and this is the latest
   move on their part. 

It isn't really clear to me that Yggdrasil and RMS are colluding to bully
us into doing anything.  It's clear to me that Yggdrasil doesn't have to
give us any money.  They'll give the project money no matter what.  In
addition, they'll give money to persons for making a specific action.  I
have no problem with that.

In RMS's case, he sees a problem with his view of how free software and
documentation should work.  To some extent I agree with him.  To some
extent I see where everybody else is coming from.

[...]

   I'm almost at the point where I'd refuse to change the copyright on
   principle---if we allow people like Yggdrasil to tell us how we should
   be licensing our books, what next? Will they require us to include
   Yggdrasil-specific information, or plugs for their product? They 
   never "negotiated" a "contract" with us. They're treating us like
   pets, in a way, holding a treat over us so we'll jump through hoops.
   I think we deserve more respect than that, and Yggdrasil does not
   respect our position. 

Hmm.  I can definitely see this.

Then again, I can also see something along the lines of, "We don't really
believe that the way you're distributing your manuals is the right way of
doing things.  We want to help out the right way of doing things, but
giving money to you guys ain't gonna help that."

However, I think I've decided to err on the side of too unrestricted.  I'm
not argueing for others to do the same.  (Heck, maybe I'll change my mind
in the next month.)  I think it definitely would have been better had
Yggdrasil talked to us one-on-one, maybe even running up some long-distance
bills.  That's my main problem with their lack of respect.  There aren't so
many authors that they can't afford to contact us, through e-mail if
nothing else.  Especially since their product is (mainly? mostly? some?)
the work of others.

-- 
Larry Greenfield
greenfie(ld)@gauss.rutgers.edu
        ^^^^ for better mailing, delete these characters