When does a derivative become a derivative? Whonix integration into Debian?
Hi,
with my Whonix hat on, I am wondering if Whonix actually is a derivative
of Debian or if I and Whonix users are just another kind of Debian users.
If you like to look at Whonix's source code [1], you'll see, that there
isn't any compiled code, we don't even rebuild any packages. It's just a
build script, a bunch of config files and shell scripts gluing a build a
Debian together. If anything results in Whonix being a derivative, it is
the fact that it's not build on Debian build servers and not downloaded
from debian.org.
We're using config-package-dev to takeover some config files originally
owned by other packages. And Whonix installs a different package
selection. It's not an iso installer, but therefore either .ova images
which can be imported into Virtual Box (or with little development
effort into other virtualizers as well) or used to transform a physical
Debian machine into Whonix.
Does that rule, that derivative's [Whonix] users should not post Debian
BTS really need to be enforced? I mean, anyone could create something
close to Whonix or Whonix itself without using Whonix's build script.
All steps can be manually done and you don't even have to compile code.
In past we even had such a guide. Steps would be such as "create an
image", "use debootstrap", "copy that config file / script there" etc.
etc. Users who heavily customized their Debian, for example by
installing Debian using debootstrap instead of the installer aren't told
"you're not a Debian user" either.
I'd be interested to see Debian VM images for qemu, Virtual Box, etc.
build on Debian build servers along with live iso's. (Just standard
Debian install.)
Whonix would just be a special brand of Debian.
Is that realistic? Would you be interested in any of this or even
willing to help in packaging Whonix for Debian and bootstrapping Debian
VM builds?
Cheers,
adrelanos
[1] https://github.com/Whonix/Whonix
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