--- Wolfgang Jenkner <wjenkner@inode.at> wrote:
> > There is an alternative form of "GPL" for documentation,
> > which you can read about. The simplest thing to do is
> > to assert copyright to something you wrote
> > (i.e. say who owns it) and then, AS THE OWNER
> > give permission to use it however YOU want it to be used.
> > There is a chance someone would steal it, but they couldn't
> > assert THEIR copyright on it.
>
> That's all I really want. One day I would like to publish it as a
> book for real, and if that day ever comes, I'd like to have the
> copyright in hand when I approach a publisher.
If I understand copyright law correctly, you always retain copyright
unless you explicitly sign it over to someone else. Basically the
licenses are you granting other people rights to use it, not you giving
up copyright.
> > Who is going to pursue you for distributing stuff that
> > could be obtained from the internet legally and free?
>
> Not I.
>
> > I think you worry too much.
>
> Me too. In essence, I turned off and tuned out of the GPL wars years
> ago.
>
> Maybe RJF, who seems to be of a like mind to my way of thinking,
> could dream
> up one sentence that says you can do what you want with it along as
> the copyright is intact, but I retain the right to publish it as a
> book...
Sounds like BSD may be appropriate for that purpose, unless you want to
retain exclusive publishing rights. If you do go for something like
BSD, we can integrate your work with the main Maxima references, and
your separate work will still retain your sole copyright. So
essentially, granting other people the rights to use it and build off
if it in no way limits your rights to your own original work, as I
understand it.
> (Personally I feel that a copyrighten real publishered book is an
> essential ingredient to Maxima making further progress. Just my HO.)
I agree a published Maxima book would be a very good thing. Maybe in
the distant future something could be done with the Maxima user manual
as well once it is complete, but I suppose we would need a publisher
who can live with the GPL. Not to mention the rate so far is best
described as glacial (my fault). So your work might actually be the
only published work specifically on Maxima for quite a while. Dunno
what the market would be like, but it would certainly be interesting to
see.
CY
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