Re: agreeing with the DFSG (was Re: non-free --> non-dfsg)

[Ossama Othman <othman@cs.wustl.edu>]

Hi Marcus,
 
> Hell, what are you TALKING about????
>
> 
> Debian is a voluntary organization. If participation in the police state is
> voluntary, I don't care a penny if you can speak up or not, because I would
> not be there.
> 
> You are free to enter and to leave Debian. As long as you stay with Debian,
> you have to follow some rules and share some visions.
> 
> In all police states I know of, leaving is not as easy. Your "analogy" is
> not only inappropriate (as Debian is no "physical" thing like a country) but
> completely absurd and so far off topic, that I have to wonder if you had all
> your senses together writing this.

It is amazing how people so are ready to snap at something that isn't as
bad as they make it seem.  Please don't start quoting what I said.  I know
what I said and I know what I meant.  You are taking what I said way out
of context and taking it too literally.  Rather then ask me what exactly I
meant you chose to lash out me.

Come on guys, I may some things that seem way off base but I definitely
agree with the spirit of the DFSG, the Social Contract and the
Constitution.  I don't want to do a total rewrite of the DFSG or anything
close to that.  I started out with one suggestion that we change non-free
to some other name.  Good arguments were made against such a change.  I
suggested a compromise which seemed like a good one, or at least it wasn't
bad.  The fact of the matter is that I was convinced that changing
non-free may not be such a good thing to do.  Since then, I've been
arguing philosophical points since the thread went on.  However, they seem
to be taken too literally.  I didn't become a developer with my eyes
closed.  I was a debian user for some time prior to my becoming a
developer.  On top of that I followed most of the discussions on
debian-devel, so I was aware of what Debian was about.  Leaving Debian or
threatening to leave Debian are not at all things I was going to do.  In
general I am happy with Debian and its goals.

-Ossama