Re: Discussion - non-free software removal
>>"Ian" == Ian Jackson <ian@davenant.greenend.org.uk> writes:
Ian> John Goerzen writes ("Re: Discussion - non-free software removal"):
>> [There] are only two possible correct stances regarding clause 1 of the
>> Social Contract:
>>
>> 1. That Debian does not contain, nor has it ever contained, non-free
>> software; or:
>>
>> 2. That Debian has been in material breach of its own Social Contract for
>> years.
Ian> Of course, actually, the social contract is a fudge -
Fudge? perhaps the usage across the pond is different from
what I am used to. I would say that the Social Contract was working
compromise -- keeping close to the party line on free software, while
creating a working system, with the goal of making it the best
distribution of linux for our users.
It was an attempt to allow us to reach peole and show them the
value of free software, and allowing them to use Debian, by helping
them to use non free software even when they were wedded to a dew non
free programs.
This allowed us to reach out to, and convert, a far larger
group of people, and to include into our community people who the
pure ideologues would leave out in the cold.
Creating support fro, and carrying a few non free programs,
makes us more effective, and more useful, to the free software
community.
I am truly sorry you did not catch on to this aspect when we
were discussion the contract.
Ian> specifically about this issue it is inherently contradictory.
Ian> How can the document say simultaneously that Debian does not
Ian> include non-free software but that Debian distributes non-free
Ian> software ?
The simple distinction between the product the Debian project
distributes, the official debian OS, as opposed to the services the
project provides its users.
How can I simplify this? Well, consider the commercial program
Quicken: when you buy the product, you get a CD that has code that
allows a user of a Windows system to electronically balance
checkbooks and more; but, on the intuit website, you can get loans,
mortgage estimators, stock quotes, porfolio advice. Quite a distinct
offering.
manoj
--
Steal my cash, car and TV - but leave the computer! Soenke Lange
<soenke@escher.north.de>
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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