Re: Skype package
On Wed, Jan 26, 2005 at 05:45:46PM +0100, Frank K?ster wrote:
> No, it cannot go into Debian, and if its a binary I wouldn't even want
> it in non-free (because we cannot give any security support). What you
> could do would be to create a package that downloads the skype binary
> and creates a deb from it, to allow the user to install it.
>
> If you look for "fahclient" in the archives of this list, you will find
> something; or have a look at flashplugin-nonfree.
These have such type of installer packages because they are
undistributable -- if you can actually redistribute skype freely across
all Debian mirrors, I see no problem in creating a .deb for it. Indeed
security support will be mostly impossible, so an appropriate warning
would be a good idea.
Either don't have it in non-free at all, or have it as a regular package
IMHO, no need to have users jump through hoops just because.
>From http://www.skype.com/help/faq/linux.html:
| Can I redistribute Skype for Linux?
| Yes, you can. For the fine print, read the EULA. In short, please
| link back to Skype servers for the actual file download (automatic
| downloading is OK), notify distribution@skype.net about your
| intentions, and make the Skype EULA terms clear to your users.
Reading further, I found:
http://www.skype.com/company/legal/promote/distributionterms.html
This is too restrictive for non-free. If you want skype in non-free,
you'd need to mail them and request permission for a non-revokable
license to redistribute the way Debian does, including excemption from
the 'must-update' demand for stable, as that's simply not going to
happen. You'd also need to ask whether listing some info the long
description and a few links is enough for their promotional demands.
With a bit of luck, they know Debian (well, they do, as they seem to
have tested it with Debian), and will give you the permissions you need.
They also require official Debian statement of agreement to their terms,
something that if they really insist on, should be obtained via the DPL
(I really really doubt though that this will happen). So again a point
they would need to give in on. In fact their whole redistribution
document is going too far, so you really need an explicit statement of
redistribution by Debian and everybody mirroring Debian, and they can
only demand some texts in package description and documention that comes
along with the package, not much else.
Then include their statement in the copyright file.
A simple google query shows that skype is quite popular, so there might
be a reasonable public for it, there are at least three independently
created unoffical debian packages already...
--Jeroen
--
Jeroen van Wolffelaar
Jeroen@wolffelaar.nl (also for Jabber & MSN; ICQ: 33944357)
http://Jeroen.A-Eskwadraat.nl
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