Re: [PATCH] removal of cover texts

[Eric Blake]

On 09/19/2011 11:24 AM, Eric Blake wrote:
> On 09/19/2011 08:37 AM, Brian Gough wrote:
> > Hello
> > I noticed that the autoconf manual includes cover texts which could
> > actually be removed. The maintainers guide says
> >
> > If your manual is not published by the FSF, and under 400 pages, you
> > can omit both cover texts.
> >
> > The autoconf manual meets both criteria by my count (392 pages).
>
> Wow - that page size won't hold for very long. We may need to get the
> Maintainer's Guide updated on the actual page limit, since the autoconf
> manual is likely to grow, not shrink, in size.
>
> But in principle, I agree with the patch, since GNU diffutils recently
> made a similar change
> (https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-diffutils/2011-08/msg00022.html).
>
> This needs a NEWS entry, as well.
>
> If no one objects to this change in the meantime, I will push this
> change along with the NEWS entry at the end of this week.

No further comments, so I've pushed this:

From ec88f41aaeb5dceeefc2cc41d09b4b0b8289aa49 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Eric Blake <address@hidden>
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:01:11 -0600
Subject: [PATCH] docs: relax documentation license by dropping cover text

See https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-diffutils/2011-08/msg00022.html
for precedence in diffutils.  The autoconf manual, as of this commit,
was still barely below 400 pages.

* doc/autoconf.texi (copying): Drop front- and back-cover texts.
* NEWS: Document this.
Reported by Brian Gough.

Signed-off-by: Eric Blake <address@hidden>
---
 ChangeLog         |    7 +++++++
 NEWS              |    4 ++++
 doc/autoconf.texi |   12 +++---------
 3 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index b780d30..bf26364 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2011-09-26  Eric Blake  <address@hidden>
+
+       docs: relax documentation license by dropping cover text
+       * doc/autoconf.texi (copying): Drop front- and back-cover texts.
+       * NEWS: Document this.
+       Reported by Brian Gough.
+
 2011-09-13  Stefano Lattarini  <address@hidden>

        docs: signal-related bugs and incompatibilities for the shells
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index c44678d..858601a 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ GNU Autoconf NEWS - User visible changes.

 * Noteworthy changes in release ?.? (????-??-??) [?]

+** The texinfo documentation no longer specifies "front-cover" or
+   "back-cover" texts, so that it may now be included in Debian's
+   "main" section.
+
 ** Support for the Go programming language has been added.  The new macro
    AC_LANG_GO sets variables GOC and GOFLAGS.

diff --git a/doc/autoconf.texi b/doc/autoconf.texi
index db414cf..91bb50a 100644
--- a/doc/autoconf.texi
+++ b/doc/autoconf.texi
@@ -209,15 +209,9 @@
 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
 Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
-Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts
-being ``A GNU Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts as in
-(a) below.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
-``GNU Free Documentation License.''
-
-(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
-modify this GNU manual.  Buying copies from the FSF
-supports it in developing GNU and promoting software
-freedom.''
+Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover texts, and
+no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section
+entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
 @end quotation
 @end copying

--
1.7.4.4



--
Eric Blake   address@hidden    +1-801-349-2682
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org