I'm glad I'm not the only one pointing out this fact about the GFDL. However, going back to the actual issue at hand, it's not at all necessary to use flv exclusively, and in fact that doesn't seem to be something anyone has suggested. Distributing free content in proprietary formats *as an alternative* is perfectly acceptable under the GFDL and any other free content license.
I don't know enough about the technology to have an opinion right now on whether or not it's a good idea to offer flv as an alternative. But as long as the primary editable version of the file is in a free format I don't think it's a huge issue to also offer a version in flv or some other proprietary format.
Daniel also makes an excellent point that the formats being considered are lossy, and that therefore we should ensure that the proprietary format version is the second generation and the free format is the first generation. In fact, I wonder the feasibility of having the preferred version for editing being a lossless format. But I don't know a whole lot about the technology there, either.
On 7/23/07, Robert Horning robert_horning@netzero.net wrote:
GerardM wrote:
Hoi, I have the idea that you are making projecting issues of the GPL on the GFDL. The GPL insists that you have to provide source code. As far as I can see, the GFDL does not. This is reasonable because a book can be published on paper under the GFDL. It is not necessary to provide a digital version as well. Thanks, GerardM
Re-read the GFDL again. Yes, it does require that you provide the "source code" for whatever you are using. The GFDL terms is "non-opaque format", which means you should have the ability to modify the text. PDF files are considered opaque, so you need to include at least an ASCII version of the text, or with some markup information if you are going that far. MediaWiki software provides this on our wikis, so it isn't something that is necessarily something hard to achieve either.
The GFDL, unlike the GPL, does provide for using a common "network address" to link to this "source code" if you are printing something on physical paper. It also requires that you maintain this link for at least one year after publication of the materials (aka you can't simply put the content up for a couple of days and then take it down again to meet this requirement). If you do distribute on CD-ROM or other media that is a bit more expansive, having editable "source code" on the disc is also appropriate.... indeed preferred.
This ought to apply to all other kinds of media included with our content, including video, audio, and static images. This has been a primary rationale for why certain multi-media formats have been accepted and others discouraged (aka MP3s and Quicktime movies or GIF images for a time). This is a wise and prudent policy, and should not be ignored for the sake of establishing a partnership to help host content.
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