Re: Keeping non-free separate

["Brian C. White" <bcwhite@verisim.com>]

> Rather than put the non-free programs in the distribution, we should consider
> dropping the non-free directory _and_its_contents_ from Debian. We don't
> really need anything in there, and it would be nice to get closer to the
> free software ideal. We could allow someone else to distribute the non-free
> programs as an addition to Debian, instead of our distributing them as a
> non-free component of an otherwise free system.

Please do not do this!  Some of those packages are important to some people.
(eg. pgp, zip, xv, pine).

Perhaps some of them are not restricted enough that they could be moved to
contrib, but if anything, I'd prefer to see "non-free" better organized.  No
computer/os survives without software, so reducing the amount of software
available for Debian is ultimately detrimental to our product.

                                        Brian
                               ( bcwhite@verisim.com )

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