Re: weekly policy summary
***** MS => Manoj Srivastava
MS> You would be better served in the -devel list.
I think -devel is completely useless, and unsuitable to have anything
decided. YMMV.
DGMS> I think we should focus on building a free OS.
MS> That we do. Mentioning software does not take much focus,
Having our OS incomplete without non-free software does it.
MS> No dependencies, yes. No refences, no.
I just think allowing `suggests' from main to (non-free|contrib) is an
unneeded dependence on non-free software.
MS> And, as I said, anything this controversial can't be decided here
MS> anyway -- this is not a forum where people can do end runs around
MS> -devel.
Maybe this could have been a good forum to have some feedback before
writing a general resolution.
MS> I am afraid this is indeed part of the main Debian goal.
We disagree. Read further, please.
MS> Because that is _our_ goal too. (Have you actually read the social
MS> contract? )
<sarcasm>
Social Contract? What is it? Nah, I just woke up that morning
thinking a @debian.org address would be cool, applied and became a
maintainer... what's all this stuff you're referring to?
</sarcasm>
Getting serious, we apparently read the same words in a different way,
which is really no surprise. Let me quote some part of it:
>--------------------------------------------------------------------<
Debian GNU/Linux Social Contract
The Debian Project is an association of individuals who have made common
cause to create a free operating system. This is the "social contract"
we offer to the free software community.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------<
Our goal is stated here above: we have made common cause to create a
free operating system. This is what we stand for.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------<
We will support our users who develop and run non-free software on
Debian, but we will never make the system depend on an item of
non-free software.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------<
I read this the way I think it has been written for: Debian will be
able to stand by itself, without any need of other non-free software
to be complete. I feel this is not the current situation --- YMMV ---
and that's all.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------<
We acknowledge that some of our users require the use of programs that
don't conform to the Debian Free Software Guidelines. We have created
"contrib" and "non-free" areas in our FTP archive for this software.
The software in these directories is not part of the Debian system,
although it has been configured for use with Debian.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------<
I really can't understand how come Debian links to something which is
not Debian; to me this means Debian isn't complete without that
something, which is something which does not really make much sense,
IMHO.
MS> I think it is more important telling our users that there is
MS> functionality they can gain even though the software providing it
MS> does not meet our guidelines. I still recommend Photoshop and Word
MS> to people for whom I think it is a better solution.
Nobody says you shouldn't do this: just do it outside of Debian is my
suggestion, and absolutely don't do it with Debian links like
`suggests' is my call.
MS> I prefer free software. I think well enough about it not to think
MS> that censorship is the only way to make our point. And, pardon me,
MS> your approach does smack of censorship.
Maybe, but I'm not really interested in this sort of conclusion: I
know it's not what I mean, so you are free to think of it any way you
like, I'll be happy nevertheless.
My concern, as a developer, is that Debian commits to non-free
software beyond what is acceptable, by me, and by other people who'd
rather be as free as possible from any non-free software association.
So I'd like to know how big this commitment really is, and I'd like
every developer could know it, because I feel it is a very important
topic. That's all I'm trying to do, please excuse me if this is of
any inconvenience to you.
Regards,
--
Davide G. M. Salvetti - IW5DZC [JN53fr] - <http://www.linux.it/%7Esalve/>
<http://www.gnu.org/> * <http://www.debian.org/> * <http://www.linux.org>
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