GFDL for TEI Guidelines

[David G. Durand]

>The FSF recently responded to my query confirming my suspicion that
>we cannot simply make chapter 28 invariant. However, he (David Turner,
>GPL Compliance Engineer) did have a suggested way to do what we want
>(the text preceded by ">" is part of my original query):
>
>| > * If not, what sort of alterations to the conformance chapter would
>| >   be necessary for it to qualify for invariant status?
>|
>| Here's my idea:  You have two concepts:
>|
>| 1. X, Y, and Z are the technical and legal aspects of conformance
>|    with this standard;
>|
>| 2. The text of the conformance requirements as published by the TEIC
>|    describes the only official TEIC conformance requirements. If this
>|    text is modified, it doesn't describe anything having to do with
>|    TEIC.
>|
>| The first is technical; the second is administrative. You could make
>| the second section invariant, while leaving the first as an ordinary
>| section. This would allow people who create standards based on the
>| TEIC standard to also use the TEIC conformance requirement text as
>| the basis for their text.
>
>I'm still trying to figure out exactly what this means myself. :-)

I think they are concerned that the technical description of how 
conformance works should be open to re-use and modification if other 
projects want to use our definitions of "conformance". However, we 
can make the "administrative" point that the term "TEI conformant" 
refers only to the original definition -- and the prose saying that 
this is so can be made invariant.

>He also adds:
>
>| Further, you could create some sort of symbol or seal which can be
>| used only on TEIC-conformant products, and explain (by reference to
>| the standards version published by TEIC) the requirements for use
>| of this seal.

This is a strategy that we could use to raise awareness of the issue 
and definition.

   -- David

-- 

David G. Durand
Director, Electronic Publishing Services
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