Re: Lift "runs on GNU/Linux" requirement

[David Hedlund]

On 2021-08-02 23:24, Adonay Felipe Nogueira via wrote:

> Em 23-07-2021 23:34, David Hedlund escreveu:
> > Added: "We list external links to free software without GNU/Linux
> > support for other operating systems
> > <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Free_software_replacements>
> > if they are particularly useful." to
> > https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Runs-on/GNU/Linux
> >       
>

Replaced "useful" with "the more common".

> >       
> I don't think we should let external links to possible free/libre
> software appear in public-facing pages unless we make create proper
> entries for those software.
>
> The Directory is a place where anyone can add software entries for
> review, then some evaluators/reviewers do one or two review checks (with
> varying depth of detail) and approve it or not in a way similar to
> saying that is, at that time and to that specific version, considered
> free/libre. If we simply link to a possibly free/libre software without
> actually reviewing it, we run the risk of, for example, end up linking
> to a software for Windows that depends on Microsoft Visual C++
> Redistributable.
>

That makes sense. I support that we should allow free Windows/macOS/iOS/Replicant-only programs to be listed. I think we should discuss this at several IRC meetings until sufficient feedback from the community has been received by the FSF to make a wise decision.

> Also, I don't know if you recall this David Hedlund, but when we created
> the Collection namespace, both of us agreed that it would be used as a
> means of listing already-reviewed and curated/selected free/libre
> software that do some task to replace non-free ones.
>
>
>

I worked on https://www.gnu.org/software/for-windows.en.html (which linked to the Winodows-only software Rufus for example), https://www.gnu.org/software/for-macos.en.html, etc, several years ago. Eventually I copied the tables to the FSD and now all gnu these gnu.org links redirect to their respectively FSD links.

All pages under https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Free_software_replacements#Operating_systems have a references in the "Free program" column saying: "This is a selection of the more common free software applications available for the [OS] platform, and is nothing like a comprehensive list. You may want to check the Runs-on/Windows category for more software. [OS]-only programs may be listed here as well but has external links since the Directory only includes program entries for GNU systems." -- this notice have to be extended with a strict policy if we wish to list as few OS-only programs as possible (eg: "[OS]-only programs are only allowed to be listed if no cross-platform programs for GNU/Linux and [OS] exist").

I restored Notepad++ now for two reasons: 1) It is common 2) The FSD does not forbid political messaging.