[help-3dldf] Re: Testing for ellipsoidality

[Laurence Finston]

Hans Aberg wrote:
-------------------
> My explanations are a part of any first year university algebra course, and
> not really what I, or any other mathematician, would think about
> coyrighting. Normally, you are expected to work it out until you understand
> it, and then write your own version of it. :-) 
> Also, I just jotted down some
> outlines, and it may be wise for you to rework it for that reason, to make
> sure all details come out correctly.

Clearly, the material itself is not copyrightable (or patentable---yet), but
the formulation is.  Authors and publishers of math textbooks certainly do
copyright them.

Martijn van Manen made a similar point to yours.  The problem is that in order
for me to be able to include your contributions in the Texinfo manual for
3DLDF you _must_ assign copyright to the FSF.  I will certainly edit your
contributions.  If I include passages of the length you've already sent me, I
will give you credit as authors, either as co-authors of the manual as a
whole, or as authors or co-authors of the sections where your contributions
appear.  If you insist, I'll ask Ted Teah, the copyright clerk of the FSF, if
it's really necessary to have you sign papers, but I've been through this
before, and I don't think he'll say anything different from me.  In addition,
I believe both of you are employed, so it may be necessary to get a release
from your employer or school.  Even if you just send me unpolished
explanations, it is safest for the FSF if they have copyright papers.

I don't want to cause work for you, but I think it would be much more useful
(and easier) to include explanations from people like you who really know what
they're talking about.  Even if this information is available in textbooks,
they are not free, and writing free documentation is a high priority for the
FSF.  This is one reason why I must write a lot more about Metafont than I
otherwise would do;  the package is free, but the _METAFONTbook_ is not, so I
must minimize the number of references to it in the manual.  

If you don't want to assign copyright to the FSF, I won't mention the matter
again.

Thanks,

Laurence