https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=128510
Bug ID: 128510
Summary: FDL Licensing Issue in GNAT Manuals
Product: gcc
Version: 12.5.0
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: P3
Component: ada
Assignee: unassigned at gcc dot gnu.org
Reporter: konrad.schwarz at siemens dot com
CC: dkm at gcc dot gnu.org
Target Milestone: ---
The GNU Gnat manuals (User’s Guide & Reference Manual) are distributed under
GNU’s Free Documentation License.
Specifically, the files gcc/gcc/ada/doc/gnat_ugn.rst and
gcc/gcc/ada/doc/gnat_rm.rst contain the passage (here the RM):
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 "GNAT Reference
Manual", and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is
included in the section entitled :ref:`gnu_fdl`.
The referenced FDL is 1.3 (see
gcc/gcc/ada/doc/share/gnu_free_documentation_license.rst). Section 3 of the
FDL v1.3 states that if one publish printed copies or copies in media that
commonly have printed covers [such as DVDs] of Documents with Front-Cover or
Back-Cover Texts, those texts and the titles of the Documents must be printed
either on the Covers, or adjacent pages.
Thus, companies distributing source packages including the Gnat manuals on DVDs
must print “GNAT User’s Guide for Native Platforms GNAT User’s Guide for Native
Platforms” and “GNAT Reference Manual GNAT Reference Manual” on the DVD cover
(or on an adjacent page). The title is repeated twice because the Front-Cover
Text is the same as the title.
I’m not sure this outcome is intended. Normally, a Front-Cover Text will be
something like “A GNU Manual”.
In any case, Debian’s Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) prohibit distribution of
FDL-licensed text that carries obligations – see also General Resolution: Why
the GNU Free Documentation License is not suitable for Debian main. They will
normally remove such material from their sources packages and put them into
separate packages in the Debian “non-free” repo. This is the case for all other
GCC manuals that have Front-Cover Texts, Back-Cover Texts or Invariant
Sections, such as the GCC C manual, but was overlooked for the GNAT manuals,
possibly because the GNAT manuals are written in reStructuredText and not in
Texinfo as all the other GNU manuals are.
Before reporting this to Debian as a DFSG violation, which would require them
to modify their GCC packaging, I wanted to ask if you would be willing to
remove the Front-Cover Text obligation from the GNAT User Guide and Reference
Manuals?
