Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] The GIF issue

[Richard Stallman]

    It uses the words "you should not inlcude GIF's in..." it does *not* say
    "you cannot" or "you shall not". It says "should not", which implies an
    option.

It is a requirement, not an option.  This file always states
requirements with "should not", never "cannot" or "shall not".  The
file uses "cannot" only for factual statements about what is possible,
and never uses "shall" at all.

I'm sorry about the misunderstanding, but we can't leave this problem
unfixed just because of a misunderstanding that has been cleared up.

    I also know that we are not infringing on the gif patent in any way,
    because we are only using and distributing gifs.

Actually, Unisys has already threatened sites that merely had GIFs on
them.  However, more important than that, we are asking everyone else
to *stop using GIFs*.  We have to practice what we preach.  We can't
make exceptions for ourselves.

    I think that the FSF is taking this too extreme if
    they wont allow us to simply include GIF's in our project and after much
    debate with the leadership team we have decided not to follow this
    request. If that means that we cannot be a GNU Project, then we are
    willing to deal with that

phpGroupWare already is a GNU package--that is not the question.  The
question is how to fix the problem that it contains GIF files.