The
GNU
GNU () is an extensive collection of free software
Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any ...
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)(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 under copyleft ("s ...
(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 Computer hardware, computing devi ...
. 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).
See also
*
BSD Documentation License
The FreeBSD Documentation License is the license that covers most of the documentation for the FreeBSD operating system.
License
The license is very similar to the 2-clause Simplified BSD License used by the support of FreeBSD, however, it makes ...
*
Share-alike
Share-alike (🄎) is a copyright licensing term, originally used by the Creative Commons project, to describe works or licenses that require copies or adaptations of the work to be released under the same or similar license as the original. Copy ...
External links
First Discussion draft
{{DEFAULTSORT:GSFDL
Free content licenses
Free Software Foundation