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Re: [PROPOSED] Change package relations policy to remove references to non-free from main



On Tue, Nov 30, 1999 at 01:34:25PM -0800, Joey Hess wrote:
> Well, a simple[1] perl command can tell us exactly what packages are affected:
> 
> joey@gumdrop:~>perl -ne '($a,$b)=m/^(.*?):\s+(.*)/;$fields{lc $a}=$b; if ($a
> eq "" || eof) { if ($fields{section}=~/(contrib|non-free)/) {
> $nonfree{$fields{package}}=1 } elsif ($fields{suggests} ne "") {
> $s{$fields{package}}=$fields{suggests} }; undef %fields } END { foreach $p
> (keys %s) { @s=split /(?:,\s+|\s+\|\s+)/, $s{$p};foreach (@s) {
> s/\(.*?\)//g;print "$p suggests $_\n" if ($nonfree{$_}) } } }'

You call that "simple"?


> devscripts suggests debian-keyring
> dpkg-dev suggests debian-keyring

I think the keyring belongs in non-US/main, but it can't get there until
20 September 2000 unless we change our policy to not consider US patents
as making something automatically non-free.


> devscripts suggests ssh
> sam suggests ssh
> rsync suggests ssh
> vreng suggests ssh
> dupload suggests ssh

We have a free ssh now--I'd suggest that these packages suggest it instead
(or is ssh now a virtual package or something?)


> tkinfo suggests tkman
> vrweb suggests mosaic

These do not seem to exist.


> gimp suggests gimp-nonfree
> gimp1.1 suggests gimp1.1-nonfree
> latex2html suggests netpbm-nonfree
> transfig suggests netpbm-nonfree
> pstoedit suggests tgif
> wml suggests gfont

LZW compression.  I think it belongs in non-US/main, not non-free.


> xbanner suggests freefont
> gimp suggests freefont
> gimp suggests sharefont
> gimp1.1 suggests freefont
> gimp1.1 suggests sharefont

xbanner could be (and should be) fixed.  Not sure what to do with gimp.


> rplay suggests mpg123

Is there some reason why mpg123 is suggested?  Enhances doesn't seem
appropriate here.  All the important parts of mpg123 are GPL'd already, it
would seem reasonable to duplicate the rest of the code in function and
put the results in main.  Or perhaps simpler, just suggest one of the free
mp3 players or something.


> fml suggests lha
> imp suggests unzip
> cnews suggests ncompress
> crashmail suggests zip
> crashmail suggests unzip
> crashmail suggests lha
> guitar suggests zip
> guitar suggests unzip
> guitar suggests unarj
> guitar suggests lha
> guitar suggests rar
> boot-floppies suggests unzip

Archivers..  mikmod was similar to this but it was argued that since the
archivers were not necessary to mikmod's operation (hence the suggests)
and would be necessary to access archives of the various types anyway,
mikmod's suggests were logically not necessary.  In several of these cases
I'd agree.  In the others, I'm not sure what to do.  Enhances seems like
it's probably not a real good solution.  (Getting actually 100% free zip
and unzip (info-zip here, not zlib-bin stuff...) would be the ideal
solution---wasn't someone talking about that being possible soon?)

boot-floppies could probably use zlib-bin's miniunz.


> wxftp-doc suggests netscape3
> wxftp-doc suggests netscape4
> awe-netscape-libc5 suggests netscape
> awe-netscape-libc6 suggests netscape
> addressbook suggests netscape3
> addressbook suggests netscape4
> vrweb suggests netscape
> gtktalog suggests netscape
> awe-netscape suggests netscape
> vreng suggests netscape
> wmakerconf suggests netscape
> freewrl suggests netscape
> fvwm95 suggests netscape
> bk2site suggests netscape

Many of these probably should suggest only www-browser.  The problem here
seems that anyone who has an X package that includes HTML seems to think
they should be suggesting netscape.  =p  A few packages like the awe
plugins probably belong in contrib.


> mutt suggests pgp5i
> mutt-ja suggests pgp5i

The pgp5i suggests should be removed.  Suggests gnupg should suffice.


> wemi suggests mailcrypt
> cmail suggests mailcrypt
> tm suggests mailcrypt
> wemi1.12 suggests mailcrypt
> semi1.12 suggests mailcrypt

AFAIK mailcrypt now speaks gpg does it not?  If so, it should migrate to
non-US/main.  If not, it should be fixed!  =>  Some insan^Wemacs user want
to confirm which option needs following?


> fvwm2 suggests xv
> mozilla suggests xv

xv does nothing any number of free programs can't.


> tetex-extra suggests tetex-nonfree
> tetex-base suggests tetex-nonfree
> xboard suggests crafty

Perfect cases for enhances!


> mozilla suggests xanim
> mozilla suggests ucbmpeg-play
> mozilla suggests amp
> mozilla suggests mpg123

mozilla suggests too much.  =p


> angband-doc suggests angband

Parts in main and parts not?  This is Not Good.


> giram-mesa suggests povray
> bg5ps suggests ttf-twmoe-kai
> bg5ps suggests ttf-twmoe-sung
> gatos suggests ucbmpeg
> xview-clients suggests xtoolplaces
> povray-manual suggests povray
> povray-manual suggests povray-misc
> giram suggests povray
> seyon suggests ckermit
> faqomatic suggests libgd-perl
> pdl suggests pgperl
> kdrill suggests edict
> lists-archives suggests glimpse
> giram-gnome suggests povray
> mysql-base suggests mysql-manual
> mysql-base suggests mysql-server
> mysql-base suggests mysql-doc
> fastdnaml suggests phylip
> ttfprint suggests ttf-twmoe-kai
> ttfprint suggests ttf-twmoe-sung
> phplib suggests php3-msql
> giram-gnome-mesa suggests povray
> vreng suggests rat
> abuse suggests abuse-sfx
> postgresql suggests libpgjava
> freewrl suggests xswallow
> exmh suggests glimpse
> task-debug suggests lclint
> cjk-latex suggests ttf-twmoe-kai
> cjk-latex suggests ttf-twmoe-sung
> task-chinese-s suggests cxterm-common
> task-chinese-s suggests cxterm-gb
> task-chinese-s suggests cedictgb
> task-chinese-s suggests chinput
> task-chinese-t suggests cxterm-common
> task-chinese-t suggests cxterm-big5
> task-chinese-t suggests ttf-twmoe-kai
> task-chinese-t suggests ttf-twmoe-sung
> task-chinese-t suggests cedictb5
> task-chinese-t suggests chinput

I could look in to most of these, but they're the same kinds of things..
Some should have enhances, some should have the suggests removed, some
should be changed to use free software, etc, etc, etc...

I can see support for Chinese is pretty much non-free.  I recall Debian-JP
having some issues integrating their Debian-based dist with Debian proper
because of similar issues (or I could be mistaken..)  It's a shame too,
but other than someone with a LOT of patience who happens to be good at
font editing (I only know of ONE free font editor and it does bdf fonts
only...) I don't see much that we can do about it now.  =<


I'm convinced, we can resolve this for the release after potato.  However
I really think if we're going to do this we should move the free software
stuck in non-free because of patent issues to non-US/main where possible.
That might be hard to do for things like IDEA and it might prove
impossible for things like mp3 encoders, but LZW, RSA and similar things
shouldn't be penalized for the stupidity of the USPTO.  (Stupidity of WIPO
notwithstanding...)

-- 
- Joseph Carter         GnuPG public key:   1024D/DCF9DAB3, 2048g/3F9C2A43
- knghtbrd@debian.org   20F6 2261 F185 7A3E 79FC  44F9 8FF7 D7A3 DCF9 DAB3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Twilight1 will have to hang his Mozilla beanie dinosaur in effigy if
  Netscape sells-out to Alot Of Losers..

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