Website Translations and Non-commercial, No Derivitieves

Karlie

(Administrator) 2008-05-26, 11:56 #1

User title: PSF Chair
Member since Jan 2008 · 5 posts · Location: Rochester, NY, USA
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Subject: Website Translations and Non-commercial, No Derivitieves

WC wrote via the contact form:

Hi,

This effort to get free software distributed via libraries is great. As such I would love to join in, but here in Belgium we speak dutch, so the English site and software is not much use here.

That means that I will have to create translated materials. Is work already underway to create versions of the site or materials available in other languages?
As the license you have chosen is Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works I do not have the right even to simply translate the texts of your website (that would be a derivative of the original English version). Any chance that you would allow me to make derivatives? In any case using a No Derivatives license is not really much in the spirit of Open Source. For a project like PSF this is quite strange to use such license: promoting Open Source when it concerns software, but locking in your own work.

Compliments to have started this effort and good luck!

Kind regards,

WC

Karlie

(Administrator) 2008-05-26, 12:10 #2

User title: PSF Chair
Member since Jan 2008 · 5 posts · Location: Rochester, NY, USA
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If you are willing to work on translation at the PSF website, we would welcome a volunteers to translate the site into other languages. We can even set up a language specific directory and forum on our website for you to work in if you like.

We can also get another domain name that would be more appropriate for a Dutch audience and allow you to operate it, if you're willing to become part of a global PSF community. In fact, very little has been predetermined about the PSF so that the community can shape the PSF and give it direction as we grow.

To answer your question about our CC License, the reason we've chosen the Non-Commercial and No Derivatives, is because we are trying to build the PSF into an organized project. To that end, we would like any efforts in the name of the PSF to be consistent with the project's goals.

Our CC license doesn't prevent anyone from contacting their local library about open source on the shelves, just that they'll need to create their own materials. That's the beauty of the GPL and other Open Source licenses. You don't actually need us for anything. In fact we probably need you more.

And please remember the spirit of the Creative Commons... It was created as an alternative to the automatic and total copyright a person is granted for all of their materials. Choosing any CC license encourages openness.

It is our belief that the PSF can do great things for the Open Source movement by giving people a slight nudge in the right direction. After that, they'll be downloading ISOs, burning and installing all on their own. They just need a place to start and an easy way to try FOSS.

~Karlie Robinson