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Re: Visualboy Advance question.



Edmund GRIMLEY EVANS wrote:

> Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org>:
> 
>> I put xtrs in contrib because without the ROM (or a DFSG-free OS for the
>> TRS-80 Model 4P, which doesn't exist or at the very least isn't
>> packaged), the only thing it will do is display an error message that no
>> ROM was found.
>> 
>> My thinking is that we need to not be pulling any bait-and-switches on
>> our
>> users.  If I were to "apt-get install xtrs" from main, I'd expect it to
>> do something more than throw up an error message.
>> 
>> In summary, the decision to put emulators that are largely or completely
>> inoperable without supplementary materials (from non-free, or not
>> provided by Debian at all), is not wholly compelled by the "100% Free
>> Software"
>> portion of the Social Contract.  It's also motivated by the "We will be
>> guided by the needs of our users" part.
> 
> Could you explain how you think the "emulator and ROM" situation is
> different from the "media player and media file" situation, if you
> think it is?
> 
> Does Debian main contain any MP3s? If not, would you like to see MP3
> players removed from Debian main?

Debian main does contain MP3 recorders.  I think that is quite sufficient to
render MP3 players useful with no non-free software; you can make your own
MP3s.

> As for "bait-and-switch", why not include a warning in the package
> description that you will need a ROM image to use the emulator?
Seems awfully 'contrib' to me.

Remember that everything in 'contrib' is free software; it's just unusable
without non-free software.

-- 
There are none so blind as those who will not see.



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