Re: Are Web-API packages need to be in the 'main' repo ?

["Clark C. Evans" <cce@clarkevans.com>]

On Sunday, December 04, 2011 3:55ser PM, "Joey Hess" <joeyh@debian.org>
wrote:
> > Perhaps they should be moved to 'contrib' category, because they
> > interface non-free web-services. Debian's 'main' repository seems not
> > the right place for any such web APIs.
>
...
> > How far down this line until it belongs in contrib or non-free? 
> I don't know.

I'd say that any dependency on non-free remote service fails Debian's 
Desert Island Test [1] and as such, even if the remote access is 
free-of-charge and functional, the code using it should be limited 
to contrib.  Software which has a configurable end-point and which 
access an implementation that is free software is free.

Best,

Clark

[1] http://wiki.debian.org/DesertIslandTest