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Re: Software in main that is throughly useless without non-free software



[Edits headers before editing reply to make sure he remembers to do so]

On Mon, May 03, 1999 at 10:02:08PM +0100, James Troup wrote:
> > > This is the point under contention.  Does it matter whether a required
> > > non-free component is on your system?  If a package *requires* a
> > > non-free server, should that package go in contrib?  (My personal
> > > feeling is yes, but I don't feel strongly about it.)
> > 
> > No software which connects over tcp requires any software at the other
> > end.
> 
> It doesn't what's it connecting to?  Direct Brain Interface Hardware (TM)?

s/any software/any particular software/


> > If you have documentation of the protocol used you don't require any
>   ^^
> > particular server, free of not.  This has been pointed out.
> 
> a) that's a big `If'

Obviously there's some documentation at least.  I can't say irc is all
that terribly well documented either (or that people follow the standards
outlined in the documentation for that matter..)

I don't think we have the right to start judging that either.


> b) at some stage there was documentation for motif, but no lesstif.
>    Would motif linked programs have been suitable for main because it
>    was a documented protocol which one could replace?

No, linking isn't the same as connecting to a server IMO.

--
Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@debian.org>            Debian GNU/Linux developer
PGP: E8D68481E3A8BB77 8EE22996C9445FBE            The Source Comes First!
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