David Gerard wrote:
On 26/09/2007, William Pietri
<william(a)scissor.com> wrote:
Again, this seems consistent with my view that
the GFDL is a mechanism
to achieve an end, not an end in itself.
Well, uh, yeah. All FSF licenses are.
Sorry; I was unclear about the distinction I'm trying to draw.
Some people use FSF licenses because they're a good way to get done
something they were trying to get done anyhow. E.g., I think Linus
Torvalds is in that category; he set out to make an operating system.
For some people, GNU-style freedom is a primary goal, an end in itself.
E.g., Richard Stallman.
I think most people involved in Wikipedia are of the former sort. We're
here to make an encyclopedia, one that is of, by, and for the world.
Doing it with GNU-style freedom is a way to get contributions and
perhaps widen distribution, not a primary motivator. For most, anyhow.
Is that clearer?
Thanks,
William
--
William Pietri <william(a)scissor.com>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:William_Pietri