Re: Re: Policy on Binary Firmware Fetching in Main (e.g. foo2zjs)
On Mon, Nov 12, 2007 at 08:20:53PM -0500, Michael Gilbert wrote:
> does getweb function correctly if the external files are unable to
> be downloaded? if the answer is no, then the script must be
> considered to depend on those files. and since those external files
> contain non-free data, then the script must be considered to depend
> on non-free data.
And conversely, if it simply that the functionality is degraded *on
certain hardware* if the external files are not downloaded, then
perhaps that would allow it to stay in free (assuming it is possible
to avoid the download being carried out).
To use a rough analogy, compiz doesn't work on certain graphics cards
unless one uses the proprietary driver for that card, but that doesn't
in itself make compiz non-free. If compiz automatically downloaded and
installed the appropriate driver as part of installation then that
would seem to make it non-free. If compiz had such a download as a
post-installation option that could be skipped, then would that mean
it remained free?
John
(TINLA)
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