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[knghtbrd@earthlink.net: mp3 players, "free" or not]

This was meant to be in -policy and I typed -private because I was rather
tired and stuff I guess.  So, because of this, I'm forwarding my message.
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severity 24011 important
thanks

x11ampg is one of those happy mp3 players we all know and love.  Because of
the patent issues, it really should be in non-free.  This package is
non-free anyway because it has no source.  There is already a bug against
this package for this reason, but I think the patent issues warrant action
even more so than the source issues, even if I consider the source issue
more important personally.


Because the maintainer has not uploaded a new package with updated control
file 2 months after the last discussion on the bug, slink freeze is all too
near, and the patent problems, I feel it is necessary to upgrade this bug to
important and include the following as counterargument to the "it fails the
DFSG and it's not commercial so it goes in contrib" argument (which was used
actually, sooo)

The Debian Free Software Guidelines

[..]

  2. Source Code

     The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in
     source code as well as compiled form.

  3. Derived Works

     The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow
     them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the
     original software.

  4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code

     The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified
     form _only if the license allows the distribution of "patch files" with
     the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time.
     The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from
     modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a
     different name or version number from the original software. (This is a
     compromise. The Debian group encourages all authors to not restrict any
     files, source or binary, from being modified.)

[..]

and...

                           Debian Policy Manual
                           --------------------

[..]

2.1.3. The contrib section
--------------------------

     Every package in "contrib" must comply with the DFSG.

[..]


Since this package fails points 2, 3, 4 at least of the DFSG, it must go
into non-free.


AND perhaps most importantly, the copyright file is the only mention of
copyright or license in the entire package, here it is verbatim:

This package was debianized by Sami Haahtinen ressu@rai.rauma.fi on
Mon, 16 Feb 1998 09:24:15 +0200.

It was downloaded from ftp://ftp.x11amp.ml.org

Copyright:

This program breaks atleast one requirement that Debian sets to the programs
it distributers, namely free source, this program doesn't have free source
available with it, thus dropping this program to the contrib-section


I hate to say it, but unless someone comes up with a license, this will be
removed from Debian all together.  =<

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