RE: General Resolution: Removing non-free
From: Branden Robinson [mailto:branden@ecn.purdue.edu]
> A good thing, because you clearly don't understand the resolution.
<Note: I am not the "you" referred to above>
> This resolution will do NOTHING to prevent users from downloading, using,
> compiling from source (if available), modifying, etc. non-free software.
>
> It is a largely technical proposal with some alterations to the Social
> Contract to clear up some muddy language and terminate a
> compromise that was made years ago for pragmatic reasons.
As I understand it, this is the first resolution to alter the Social
Contract since it was created 4+ years ago. That alone makes it a largely
political proposal.
As I understand it, this resolution alters the Social Contract by altering
Debian's promise to the user, specifically removing Debian's support of
non-free software through archive
space, bug-tracking support, etc. Altering Debian's promise to the user is
a largely (if not wholly) political act.
Termination of a compromise in a political document (which the Social
Contract surely is) is inherently a political act. From my reading of the
resolution, it seems that termination of this compromise is the -primary-
act that the resolution is trying to do. The elimination of non-free from
the servers and BTS, as well as the modification of the SC are simply the
ways to achieve that. That makes, in my mind, this resolution almost wholly
a political proposal, not "largely technical".
Characterising this resolution as "largely technical" is, in my opinion,
disingenuous at best.
> --
> G. Branden Robinson | Measure with micrometer,
> Debian GNU/Linux | mark with chalk,
> branden@ecn.purdue.edu | cut with axe,
> roger.ecn.purdue.edu/~branden/ | hope like hell.
>
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