10:46 a.m.
Hello,
On Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 12:10:40AM +0200, Mark Wielaard wrote:
Last year we already raised this issue in our open letter the the
FSF:
https://gnu.wildebeest.org/blog/mjw/2019/12/27/proposals-for-the-new-gnu-...
We understand that traditionally the FSF has used the gnu.org
domain not just for the GNU project, but also to facilitate other
programs of the FSF. We would like to see a better separation
between pages maintained by GNU volunteers and FSF staff
maintained pages for other FSF programs.
Specifically we like to give pages maintained by the FSF Licensing
and Compliance Lab like the Free Software Definition, License
List, Free System Distribution Guidelines and other FSF Compliance
programs on which the larger Free Software community relies a
special status or redirect them to the fsf.org domain.
did we write such intelligent things? I am amazed at ourselves!
Indeed this web page is a good example of an inextricable amalgam between
GNU and the FSF; it is completely unclear who is responsible for the page.
The URL starts with the gnu.org domain.
The box starts with:
"This page is maintained by the Free Software Foundation's Licensing and
Compliance Lab."
The title of the page is:
"Free System Distribution Guidelines (GNU FSDG)"
The last paragraph starts with
"If you have questions or comments about these guidelines themselves, feel
free to send those to <licensing(a)fsf.org>."
Then there is some advertisement to join the FSF.
Finally the footer starts with
"Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <gnu(a)gnu.org>."
Why should we send general FSF inquiries to gnu(a)gnu.org?
Indeed I still think this page looks more like FSF than GNU matter:
theoretically, even a non-GNU distribution could qualify as free.
Then it is weird to discuss FSF matter on a private GNU list
(even more so than discussing GNU matter on a private GNU list :-))
Lets raise this issue again. The FSF finally has a new president, so
hopefully they are a bit more responsive this time around:
https://www.fsf.org/news/geoffrey-knauth-elected-free-software-foundation...
Thanks for the heads up, I had indeed not heard about it. And I agree
with raising the issue again; maybe we could simply resend the mail
to the new board?
Andreas