Re: non-DFSG section and CD distributers
This is not about dogma. It's about building a system that anyone can
use and maintain and improve. If you loosen up the DFSG, you get locked
into software that you can't control - for example you might have to
stop using it if you go into business, you might switch window systems
and be prohibited from using it, you might have a bug that you are
unable to fix because the source isn't there or the license doesn't let
you, or you might not be able to distribute or sell copies of the
system you run.
Do we object to non-free software? No. What we object to is trap-ware.
Trap-ware is software designed to fool you into thinking it's free, and
then they spring the trap. For example, the "free for now but not when
you port it", or "free for now, but if it needs a change we might not
authorize that". The goal of trap-ware is to get you locked in, and
then start making money off of you. This is much worse than honest free
software.
Bruce
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Can you get your operating system fixed when you need it?
Linux - the supportable operating system. http://www.debian.org/support.html
Bruce Perens K6BP bruce@debian.org NEW PHONE NUMBER: 510-620-3502
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