Re: FS criteria -- software distribution examples

[MJ Ray]

John Darrington <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 14, 2007 at 08:43:00AM +0100, MJ Ray wrote:
>      Debian Does Not Promote Non-Free Software.
>
> This statement is false. From the debian web site:
>  "As a service to our users, we also provide [non-free] packages in separate
>   sections that cannot be included in the main distribution."

Just below that statement on http://www.debian.org/distrib/packages it
also criticises the "onerous license condition[s]" of them.  This is
not promotion any more than the GNU Herds site promotes Sun Java with
  "Sun Java technologies are tagged as Non-Free Software because of
  the license you have to agree to download them is not a Free
  Software license"

However, that debian description still looks like a bug.  I'll write a
patch soon.  Why didn't you report this bug before now?

[...]
>      Debian contains no Non-Free Software, except as a serious bug.  
>
> This statement is false, or at best misleading.  Simply saying that
> the non-free components are not in part of the "official Debian
> distribution" doesn't change anything.

Indeed, they are simply not in the debian operating system.  Debian
contains no Non-Free Software, except as a serious bug.  Debian does
not *promote* Non-Free Software.  The project tracks it, criticises it
and frequently works to liberate its users!

> They are simply deciding to
> call a cow a "horse" and hope everyone forgets what it really is.

How is it different to people trying to call an FTP site an operating
system and hoping everyone forgets the difference?  Double standards!

>      The project merely tracks some of it and supports its misguided
>      users.  
>
> Thus, its offering legitimacy to them.  "Supporting" users of non-free
> software is fine, if the purpose is to move them onto free
> replacements, but this is clearly not what debian is doing. [...]

It is part of what the project does!  Note that every single non-free
package's page includes links to "Similar packages".

Another way of liberating users of non-free software is by persuading
upstream developers to relicense, which has happened many times.

Why do you think it's not part of what debian is doing?

[...]
>      A few prominent free software activists wilfully ignore this and
>      lie about the debian GNU OS, but that does not change reality.
>
> I think that inflamatory statements like this are not constructive,
> and I would appreciate it if you didn't make them here.

I think the same is true about much of your inflamatory email.

Regards,
-- 
MJ Ray http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html tel:+44-844-4437-237 -
Webmaster-developer, statistician, sysadmin, online shop builder,
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