Re: [dan@rebol.com: Re: unofficial REQUEST for support DEBIAN GNU/Linux]

[Craig Sanders <cas@taz.net.au>]

On Thu, Oct 28, 1999 at 01:44:18PM -0700, David Bristel wrote:
> Correction, this won't work for it to go into main.  It WILL allow it
> to go into non-free I believe.

nope.  debian doesn't enter into licensing agreements.

if the REBOL authors unilaterally change their license so that it allows
us to distribute it, then it can go in non-free....but if debian has to
sign or agree to anything to get that status then it can't go in debian
at all.


> If the authors of REBOL will not change the license wording, there
> isn't much we can do about it.  It is better to get the rights to put
> it in non-free than to not be able to provide it at all.

not if "getting the rights..." involves making some licensing agreement.


> While I would hope that this license would change at some time in the
> future, I do not feel it is good to alienate the authors of a program
> or package by pushing them to make this sort of change against their
> will.

it's not a matter of alienating authors. they have every right to
license their software however we like.

we have the debian Social Contract and DFSG and historical precedent of
similar cases to guide our actions. we should not even consider changing
our core values just because they might offend or alienate the authors
of some non-free software.

if we can distribute some piece of non-free software then that's good,
it can go in non-free.

if we can't, then that's fine too. nothing to get upset about - they can
go their way, and we'll go ours.


craig

--
craig sanders