GNU bug report logs - #1988
Making the license statement visible in the Emacs Manual

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From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: rms <at> gnu.org
Cc: 1988 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, rgm <at> gnu.org, jessw <at> netwood.net,
        karl <at> gnu.org
Subject: bug#1988: Making the license statement visible in the Emacs Manual
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:04:41 +0200

> From: Richard M Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org>
> CC: rgm <at> gnu.org, jessw <at> netwood.net
> cc: karl <at> gnu.org
> Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:59:13 -0500
> 
> I suggest talking with the Texinfo maintainer, karl <at> gnu.org, about this.
> If the Texinfo manual doesn't give clear and specific advice which settles
> your question, then I think some should be added there.

The Texinfo manual _does_ give clear and specific advice about this:

      We also strongly recommend using `@insertcopying' in the Top node of
    your manual (*note The Top Node::), although it is not required
    legally.  Here's why:

      The `@copying' command itself causes the permissions text to appear
    in an Info file _before_ the first node.  The text is also copied into
    the beginning of each split Info output file, as is legally necessary.
    This location implies a human reading the manual using Info does _not_
    see this text (except when using the advanced Info command `g *').
    Therefore, an explicit `@insertcopying' in the Top node makes it
    apparent to readers that the manual is free.

      Similarly, the `@copying' text is automatically included at the
    beginning of each HTML output file, as an HTML comment.  Again, this
    text is not visible (unless the reader views the HTML source).  And
    therefore again, the `@insertcopying' in the Top node is valuable
    because it makes the copying permissions visible and thus promotes
    freedom.

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