Please release your documentation under the GPL

[Jason Spiro]

It would be great if you would GPL all your documentation just like the Xen team has done[1]. Then Linux distributions that ship VirtualBox could ship your excellent manual too. Also, I suspect some people would be more likely to contribute to the documentation.

^{[1]. ​http://xenbits.xensource.com/xen-unstable.hg/file/782599274bf9/COPYING explains that most files in the Xen source repository are GPLed, though some are BSD licensed. So it seems to me that the docs are GPLed.}

[Jason Spiro]

Just to clarify, this ticket refers to your documentation, not to your wiki contents. I created ticket #2365 (Please release your wiki contents under a GPL and GFDL dual license) about that.

[Frank Mehnert]

I understand your request and I would like to grant it but the decision is: No at this time, sorry. We could implement a download button for the OSE version which automatically downloads the manual from this site.

[Jason Spiro]

1. Who said no? Was it developers, or the legal department, or somebody else?

2. Are you able to say why not? Then I can respond with suggestions on how to abolish the roadblocks.

[anonymous]

See also #4455

[Technologov]

Not necessarily GPL - but it can be dual-licensed as the rest of the product (GPL+Sun license). Other OSS licenses will be good too. (GFDL anyone?)

Added myself as CC to this wish.

-Technologov

[Jason Spiro]

The VirtualBox 4.0.2 OSE .tar.bz2 file now includes the manual. I learned this from an email I got from Felix Geyer at Debian, and verified myself today that it's true.

Dear VirtualBox team: Thank you for having released your documentation under the GPL.