Re: Bug#181028: cdrecord: promotes non-free software
On Sat, Feb 22, 2003 at 06:42:01PM -0600, Billy Biggs wrote:
> Ben Collins (bcollins@debian.org):
>
> > If some piece of software output a line that said "Debian sucks, use
> > Mandrake", we'd probably comment out that line in the code for Debian
> > packaging.
>
> I find it amazing that a distribution about freedom has members which
> can so quickly embrace censorship. I see a big difference between
> denying a package or applying a bugfixing patch and political editing.
Yeah, that's productive. Turn this into something that it isn't. My next
upload will include a program that outputs a line everytime you run it
saying "Billy Biggs takes it up the ass" and see if you change what you
think is appropriate for our distribution.
Debian as a whole makes it's decisions based on what's best for our
users, in relation to our social contract. Our social contract says we
support and promote free software, first and foremost. We also dedicate
ourselves to providing a technically superior distribution. We never
said we would let any asshole with an opinion put their 2 cents in a
program. Where appropriate, Debian has always taken the approach of what
is technically superior (see the README about how Debian handles kernel
headers in libc6 for an example) in relation to our goals.
There are boundaries and limits. Freedom can not be had without them.
To that end, it goes against our social contract to have a program that
promotes non-free software when there is a perfectly good free
alternative. I've used dvdrecord, it works. I prefer DVD+R/RW since I
don't need any sort of recorder program, but that's besides the point.
For the benefit of our users, many of whom choose Debian on the basis of
it being a promoter of free software, we should not allow cdrecord to
advertise in this way.
--
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