Re: Software in main that is throughly useless without non-free software
On Wed, 5 May 1999, Branden Robinson wrote:
> On Thu, May 06, 1999 at 03:39:02AM +0200, Remco Blaakmeer wrote:
> > Yes, I'm sorry to have missed that. Both of you are obviously right.
> >
> > Now, I ask the same question again but with a little difference: Since
> > Policy defines which packages can go into 'main' and which can't, can
> > somebody please point out which part of Policy these programs fail? I have
> > read the requirements for packages that want to go into main. I don't see
> > what's wrong with free packages that talk proprietary protocols for which
> > is no free 'other end' available, as far as Policy is concerned.
>
> I can't point to you such a place because it doesn't exist. This "new
> distinction" was distinctly proposed as a NEW policy, perhaps (very
> arguably, as we've seen) logically derived from the old, but not as
> existing policy.
>
> N.B., it wasn't even formally proposed, just brought up for discussion.
IIRC, the whole discussion started after an archive maintainer rejected a
new package that was supposed to go into main, for the reason that _he_
thinks it is useful only if it talks a proprietary network protocol for
which there is no free server available. If this reason isn't even
mentioned in Debian Policy, then what gives him the right to do so?
If a program can be compiled and executed on a Debian system on which
nothing else but packages from 'main' have been installed, it should go
into 'main'. That's what Debian is all about.
Remco
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