Re: [Groff] GPL or FDL

[James K. Lowden]

On Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:42:05 +0100 (CET)
"Bernd Warken" <address@hidden> wrote:

> So which license should we prefer for documentation files:
> - make all documentation files into GPL
> - make all documentation files into FDL
> - keep the licenses of all files as they are

I have an innocent, basic question:  Why is the manual copyrighted?
What use is the manual without the software?  

If someone chose to publish it, what harm?  (Let's not pretend that the
royalties would amount to much, given the sad state of publishing and
~20 years of groff history.)

If the purpose of the license is to give credit where credit is due, a
BSD license accomplishes that in a few sentences.  

I don't want to start a firestorm and I don't have a strong opinion,
not that it matters.  I just question the need to surround the manual
in so much legal machinery.  

--jkl