Stallman's critique related to the creation of
modified works and the ability of an author to select
either one of the OPL's options to restrict
modification. If an author didn't want to select either
option, it was better to use the GFDL instead, Stallman
noted, since it minimized the risk of the nonselected
options popping up in modified versions of a document.
The importance of modification in both licenses was a
reflection of their original purpose-namely, to give
software-manual owners a chance to improve their
manuals and publicize those improvements to the rest of
the community. Since my book wasn't a manual, I had
little concern about the modification clause in either
license. My only concern was giving users the freedom
to exchange copies of the book or make copies of the
content, the same freedom they would have enjoyed if
they purchased a hardcover book. Deeming either license
suitable for this purpose, I signed the O'Reilly
contract when it came to me.
Still, the notion of unrestricted modification
intrigued me.
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