Re: Sun Java available from non-free
On Sun, 21 May 2006, Thomas Weber wrote:
> Don't you think that the main problem here is that there *wasn't* any
> discussion, at least for the vast majority of Debian developers and
> users?
No, if we should discuss before taking any action we wouldn't get
anything done. If you really want to contest the decision, you have the
GR.
That's it, but it would be unproductive.
> And yes, as a Debian user I'm surprised that such decisions are
> taken behind closed doors; this is not a security related issue and it
> wouldn't have done any harm to Debian to discuss this in the open.
Someone from Sun contacts you to examinate a new license for Java and ask
you advice and all, and ask you to keep that info private. What do you
respond to him ? "No sorry, we really don't care, go away"?
There was no other choice, that's all.
> If that had delayed the inclusion, so be it; after several years without
> Sun's Java in Debian, some more weeks wouldn't have hurt neither users
> nor the project itself.
And we would have lost an opportunity to do some PR stuff and show
everyone that we're an important player in the Linux world.
The choice has already been made. Both sides have positive sides and
negative ones. The choice has been made, no point in discussing it over
again and again.
> Oh, and the impression that pushing non-free packages in after several
> hours has a high priority, while (license-wise) simple packages linger
> for weeks in NEW was probably a bonus[1].
I have to agree this sucks but if you have the schedule in mind it's easy
to understand:
- NEW is done by Joerg usually, he's organizing debconf so there's a
backlog due to that
- Sun guys are here at debconf and finalize discussions with the java
maintainers (Jeroen, Matthias Klose, Barry Hawkins), the package is
finally uploaded and immediately installed by Jeroen (or another
ftpmaster)
- We make an announce (almost) the same day than Sun announces its stuff
at Javaone ...
> > > It would be bad PR if Debian will have to remove Sun Java from the
> > > archive, shortly after public announcements that it accepted it in.
> >
> > No it wouldn't.
>
> Well, there I disagree with you: it would. At the very least, it would
> give the impression that Debian can't decide what it wants.
No, it would simply show that Sun is not committed to what they told us.
We have been reasonable and accepted to work with them. If they change
their mind, then it's Sun which is not reasonable.
Cheers,
--
Raphaël Hertzog
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