The

GNU GNU () is an extensive collection of free software (383 packages as of January 2022), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operat ...

Simpler Free Documentation License (GSFDL) is a proposed version of the

GNU Free Documentation License The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the r ...

(GFDL) that has no requirements to maintain Cover Texts and Invariant Sections. It is meant to provide a simpler licensing option for authors who do not wish to use these features in the GFDL. The GSFDL is a

copyleft Copyleft is the legal technique of granting certain freedoms over copies of copyrighted works with the requirement that the same rights be preserved in derivative works. In this sense, ''freedoms'' refers to the use of the work for any purpose, ...

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

for free content, designed by the

Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)#501(c)(3), 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985, to support the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed ...

(FSF) for the

GNU project The GNU Project () is a free software, mass collaboration project announced by Richard Stallman on September 27, 1983. Its goal is to give computer users freedom and control in their use of their computers and computing devices by collaborati ...

. This license is currently only in draft form (published September 26, 2006). The draft is mostly identical to the current Version 2 draft of the GNU Free Documentation License, except it makes no provision for Cover Texts and Invariant Sections; and it includes a new section 0a entitled "Free Manuals are Essential" which contains an ideological statement. The GFDLv2 explicitly allows

cross licensing A cross-licensing agreement is a contract between two or more parties where each party grants rights to their intellectual property to the other parties. Patent law In patent law, a cross-licensing agreement is an agreement according to which two ...

to the GSFDL for any work that does not use any of the features that the GSFDL does not support. The license was designed for manuals,

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...

s, other reference and instructional materials, and documentation which often accompanies GPL software. However, it can be used for any work, regardless of subject matter or medium (although it is not recommended for use in software).

External links

First Discussion draft
{{DEFAULTSORT:GSFDL Free content licenses Free Software Foundation

See also

External links