In a message dated 3/2/2008 2:46:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, shimgray@gmail.com writes:
I think the intended meaning was along the lines of "Current lack of a free image is not sufficient justification to use a non-free image".
That would make more sense, and is a position with which I think we could all agree.
It is the general consensus view, but I'm a little worried we may be failing to communicate quite what it means very well - it's the position you seem to have been arguing against all day!
See, an hour before, you said: "If we have no free-use image, we should be and are free to use a fair-use image *until* such time as we do have a free-use image."
So you insist that we can use non-free images when we don't currently have a free one, but then you agree that not having a free image just now *isn't* justification to use an non-free one. [1]>>> -------------------------------------------------------- Let's be aware that a "non-free" image is not identical to a "fair-use" image. Non-free covers the entire universe outside of "Free", and "Fair-use" only covers a sub-set of that external set. It's quite possible that people not understanding this, are making the claim that everywhere the policy discusses "non-free" it's discussing "fair use", but imho it isn't.
You paraphrase me as saying that "not having a free image just now isn't justification to use a non-free one". What I actually agreed to was a more particular expression that "Current lack of a free image isn't sufficient justification to use a non-free one".
The actual justification of when a fair use image may be used, is spelled out in the Non-free policy and other linked pages. What is actually occurring is that fair-use images are being deleted without having any replacement image, or even any idea of whether a replacement free image exists.
There's a fair divide between those positions.
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