Re: Nomination for Project Leader
On Thu, Dec 10, 1998 at 12:05:43 -0500, Ben Collins wrote:
> Qt/KDE: I don't use KDE, not because I don't like it or have anything
> against either KDE or Qt, but simply because I'm a console person, not
> much into X. Give me 10 vc's and I'm happy.
Why 10? One is sufficient.
X-subliminial-ad: screen rules
> My opinion on this is very simple, it is not Debian's responsibility to
> decide how good the QPL is or how the license needs to change, that's OSI
> and or SPI's (that's a whole other issue) concern. Our only concern over
> this as a group should be limited to "Does it meet our _current_
> guidelines?", and if so who is going to package it. If not, then can it go
> into non-free/contrib. Said, done, that's it.
I strongly disagree. Debian is, and has always been, a political
organisation when it comes to software freedom. The Debian project itself
has the final say over what it considers free software and has every right
to use whatever weight it has within the free software community to attempt
to influence software licenses for the better. What makes Debian different
from the FSF, SPI, OSI etc. when it comes to lobbying for license changes is
that we are directly involved in a product which will reflect license
changes. Thus, we can not only discuss with authors from the
moral/political/ethical viewpoint, but also from the practical viewpoint
("changing the license in this fashion will allow us to include your
software in main"). I see no reason for us to refrain from exerting
influence for the good of the free software community in this way.
Remember, we are viewed within the community as an authority on licenses
(netscape explicitly designed the MPL to meet the _Debian Free Software
Guidelines_).
> I strongly encourage any one who wants to push for a more compatible
> license, and as proponents of the free software ideals, I would hope
> everyone would. Just stay focused on the job at hand and keep those things
> in a more appropriate forum.
Ray
--
Tevens ben ik van mening dat Nederland overdekt dient te worden.
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