Re: Programs contain ads - acceptable for packaging for Debian?

["Chris Lamb" <lamby@debian.org>]

Jason Crain wrote:

> > Such ads is displayed only when users have Internet connection, and there is
> > no way to patch ZZZ in order to remove ads (or we have to buy "pro" version
> > which doesn't contain ads and adds more features).
> 
> If it's free software, meaning it is freely modifiable and
> redistributable, how is there no "no way to patch ZZZ in order to remove
> ads"?

Indeed, and I fully +1 all the other sentiments regarding privacy &
network access etc., only sardonically adding that such advertisement
are typically unspeakably unsightly and surely have no place in our
distribution on those grounds alone.

However, as a refinement — or perhaps to get the last remaining "extra
credit" in this thread which appears to be reaching consensus — note
that there are some licenses that ask you to redistribute changed
copies under a different name. Thus depending on your definition of
what ZZZ "is" (as well as how pedantic you are feeling at the time)
there are indeed "soft" ways  of having such a "no way to patch ZZZ"
clause that «prima facie» appears to be non-free.

Most notably from a Debian point of view would be:

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX_Project_Public_License#Unique_features_of_the_license
  

Regards,

-- 
      ,''`.
     : :'  :     Chris Lamb
     `. `'`      lamby@debian.org 🍥 chris-lamb.co.uk
       `-