On Sun, Jul 31, 2005 at 09:21:14PM -0700, Bryce Harrington wrote:
It is cruft, an unnecessary distraction. I would really like to see this bit of marketing propoganda removed entirely from the user interface. It will probably need to be mentioned in the documentation anyway but the license is important to Free Software Evangelists not to users who want to draw stuff.
Roughly speaking, any user of any piece of software has some interest in copying that software -- whether copying to another machine, giving a copy to a friend, installing at work, etc.
I've no problem with changing the menu structure; indeed, I think we want a number of similar help items, some or all of which might be grouped together in a submenu:
- how to obtain the software (e.g. the most recent version, or getting for another platform);
- who to contact for support
- how to get the source code
- how to improve translations
users shouldn't need to worry about it and windows users have already been required to agree to the License in the installer. (And users do not need to agree to the GPL just to use the software, only if they wish to redistribute modified versions.)
I agree. Offhand, I don't think the GPL should be displayed by the installer at all.
This particularly hit a nerve because the GIMP harasses users with inane questions the first time you run it, including displaying the License.
I too think it shouldn't be displayed when first running the software.
I was also a bit curious when I saw this added to the help menu. It might be better to simply call it "License"?
I don't think so. The word has unfortunately become understood in the context of software not as a `license' (granting of permission) but as a contract that takes away freedom.
"Copying this software" would be OK though.
pjrm.