Re: Discussion - non-free software removal
> A quick check of the Debian Project History at
> http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/ shows how much has
> changed since the Social Contract was release in 1997. Then, our current
> release was 1.3, which had 974 packages (up from 474 in 1.1). Now, Debian
> 3.0 contains over 9000 packages -- ten times more. The body of available
> Free Software in Debian has expanded dramatically, and the real need for
> non-free is not as strong as it once was. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped
> non-free from gaining support and packages.
Wow, an actual testable hypothesis. Is non-free growing relative to
main? Is it growing absolutely? Could we have some numbers on how non-free
has changed across the years?
My own impression is that it is actually getting smaller, both
relatively, and probably absolutely.
If so, it is my opinion that this acrimonious debate is not worth
the electrons used to illuminate it.
Jim Penny
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