[GNU-linux-libre] In search of FSDG certification

[Ivan Zaigralin]

Dear Linux-libreans :)

I am writing on behalf of the FreeSlack project, where I am one of the
lead maintainers, along with Matt Samudio. I am writing to this list on
the advice of Joshua Gay of the FSF licensing team.

On 03/01/2016 08:20 AM, Joshua Gay via RT wrote:
> Yes, I think it sounds like it's worth taking a step in this direction.
> The first thing I would do is join the GNU Linux-libre mailing lit if
> you have not already done so and let them know about your project and
> that would like their help in looking it over to make sure you meet all
> of the GNU Free Distribution Guidelines (GFDG),
> <http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines>. 
> 
> I will have an internal discussion with the FSF licensing team and a
> very quick look at the project to make sure nothing obvious stands out.
> The most important thing is a project making a stated commitment to the
> GFDG and promising to remove any nonfree bugs when they get reported in
> a timely manner.

These are indeed (some of) our commitments (we will amend our wiki to
say so explicitly), and our official description follows:

> FreeSlack is a Free eXpansion Pack for Slackware. The project's
> primary goals are to document all non-free software in Slackware
> distribution, and to make it easy for users to maintain a fully free
> OS based on Slackware.
>
> Technically speaking, FreeSlack is a complete distribution and a
> Slackware derivative, but we prefer to think of ourselves as a
> shortcut to a free flavor of Slackware. We are not affiliated with
> the Slackware project, have no developers in common, and share no
> infrastructure. We use the term Slackware only in reference to the
> stock OS distributed by Patrick Volkerding. One of our ambitions is
> to become integrated within the existing Slackware community, and we
> hope to achieve that by making the smallest possible changes needed
> to deblob Slackware, while leaving all technical decisions up to the
> Slackware team.

[[ http://freeslack.net/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start ]]

We have a free DVD image which installs a deblobbed (free) derivative of
Slackware, with package manager configured to use our free repository,
so that the user is never compelled to obtain anything from the
Slackware servers.

[[ http://freeslack.net/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=installation ]]

The source code for the project is described and linked to as well.

[[ http://freeslack.net/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=installation#source_code ]]

So we would like to go ahead and see if anyone would like to help us out
through the certification process, and towards being officially
FSDG-compliant. Please let us know what you think.

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