[License-discuss] Organizing the FAQ into categories.

[Karl Fogel]

Luis Villa <luis at tieguy.org> writes:
>I don't think I'd realized quite how much of this is OSI stuff- does
>it make sense to have separate OSI and licensing FAQs?

I think a unified FAQ still makes sense, for two reasons:

People seeking information in often don't have a clear sense of whether
their question is a licensing question or not -- they don't categorize
the world the same way we would (with all our experience in this field).

Also, the FAQ is still browseable, and someone who's there looking at
one question may learn something from looking around at other questions.

If we ever get to hundreds of questions and it really becomes
unmanageable (for the reader) to have it all in one page, then I think
splitting licensing-specific questions out into their own FAQ would be
the first division to look at.  I don't think we're there yet, though,
and am not sure we'll ever reach that stage.

Thoughts?

­K

>On Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 10:45 AM, Karl Fogel <kfogel at red-bean.com> wrote:
>> In another thread, Luis Villa <luis at tieguy.org> wrote:
>>>[I'd also repeat my call of a few weeks back- if anyone has a few
>>>hours to try to edit the FAQ into useful categories, let me know.]
>>
>> Here's a preliminary categorization.  I guess license-discuss is
>> probably the most appropriate place to post this, since much of the FAQ
>> is about licensing in one way or another.
>>
>> Any comments welcome.  If I hear a lot of +1s, then I'll edit the FAQ
>> page accordingly.  If this gets a lot of comments, then we'll just see
>> where the thread goes.  Here are my proposed top-level categories:
>>
>>   + Basics of Open Source
>>   + Distributing and Using Open Source Software
>>   + Commerce and Open Source
>>   + Using Our Logo, Linking to Us, Etc
>>   + Getting Help
>>
>> And here's the proposed breakdown of FAQ items:
>>
>> Basics of Open Source
>> =====================
>>
>>   * Can Open Source software be used for commercial purposes?
>>
>>   * Can I restrict how people use an Open Source licensed program?
>>
>>   * Can I stop "evil people" from using my program?
>>
>>   * What is "copyleft"? Is it the same as "open source"?
>>
>>   * What is a "permissive" Open Source license?
>>
>>   * Is <SOME PROGRAM> Open Source?
>>
>>   * Can I call my program "Open Source" even if I don't use an
>>     approved license?
>>
>>   * Is <SOME LICENSE> an Open Source license, even if it is not listed
>>     on your web site?
>>
>>   * What about software in the "public domain"? Is that Open Source?
>>
>>   * What about the Creative Commons "CC0" ("CC Zero") public domain
>>     dedication? Is that Open Source?
>>
>> Distributing and Using Open Source Software
>> ===========================================
>>
>>   * What if I do not want to distribute my program in source code
>>     form? Or what if I don't want to distribute it in either source or
>>     binary form?
>>
>>   * Which Open Source license should I choose to release my software
>>     under?
>>
>>   * How do I apply <SOME OPEN SOURCE LICENSE> to software I'm
>>     releasing?
>>
>>   * Can I strip out the copyrights on Open Source code and put in my
>>     own?
>>
>>   * Can I write proprietary code that links to a shared library that's
>>     open source?
>>
>>   * I want to publish some code as Open Source code — can I get a
>>     license from you?
>>
>>   * Is <SOME PHP PROGRAM> Open Source simply because it's written in
>>     PHP?
>>
>>   * What is "distribution"? What does it mean to "distribute" a
>>     program? Is letting people use it on my server the same as
>>     distribution?
>>
>>   * Someone is violating a copyleft license, for example by refusing
>>     to give me source code when they are required to. What can I do?
>>
>> Commerce and Open Source
>> ========================
>>
>>   * How do I make money if anybody can sell my code?
>>
>>   * Can I sell Open Source programs? Even if I haven't written it?
>>
>>   * Does Open Source mean anybody else can use my name and logo?
>>
>>   * Why did you approve Microsoft's licenses when they are attacking
>>     Open Source?
>>
>> Using Our Logo, Linking to Us, Etc
>> ==================================
>>
>>   * Can I use your corporate logo (green open keyhole saying "Open
>>     Source") or something very similar (different color / texture /
>>     words) on my product (hat, shirt, web page, etc)?
>>
>>   * How much does it cost for a link on opensource.org to my website?
>>
>>   * Can I use your corporate logo on my web page to link to you?
>>
>>   * Can I link to your site?
>>
>>   * Can I use one of your pages in a document I'm writing?
>>
>> Getting Help
>> ============
>>
>>   * Can I ask a legal question here?
>>
>>   * Can you help me find an Open Source programmer or program?
>>
>>   * How do I unsubscribe from one of your mailing lists?
>>
>>   * How can I join an open source project?
>>
>>   * I have a thesis and I'm sending out a survey...
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> License-discuss mailing list
>> License-discuss at opensource.org
>> http://projects.opensource.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss