Bug#53761: [PROPOSED] revision of the Motif/LessTif policy
Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.1.1.1
Severity: wishlist
Semantic revisions.
--
G. Branden Robinson | There's nothing an agnostic can't do
Debian GNU/Linux | if he doesn't know whether he believes
branden@ecn.purdue.edu | in it or not.
roger.ecn.purdue.edu/~branden/ | -- Graham Chapman
--- policy.sgml.orig Wed Dec 29 17:01:51 1999
+++ policy.sgml Wed Dec 29 18:02:39 1999
@@ -3175,33 +3175,25 @@
System packages install their files into a different
directory in the future.</p>
- <p>
- If you package a program that requires the (non-free)
- OSF/Motif library, you should try to determine whether the
- programs works reasonably well with the free
- re-implementation of Motif called LessTif. If so, build the
- package using the LessTif libraries; it can then go into the
- main section of the package repository and become an
- official part of the Debian distribution.</p>
-
<p>
- If however, the Motif-based program works insufficiently
- well with LessTif, you should instead provide "-smotif" and "-dmotif"
- versions (appending these identifiers to the name of the
- package), which are statically and dynamically linked
- against the Motif libraries, respectively. (All known
- versions of OSF/Motif permit redistribution of
- statically-linked binaries using the library, but check the
- license on your copy of Motif to be sure.) This two-package
- approach allows users without Motif to use the package,
- whereas users with Motif installed can enjoy the advantages
- of the dynamically-linked version (a considerable savings in
- disk space usage, download time, etc.). Neither "-smotif"
- nor "-dmotif" packages can go into the main section; if the
- licensing on the package is compatible with the Debian Free
- Software Guidelines, it may go into the contrib section;
- otherwise it must go into the non-free section.
-
+ <em>Programs that require the non-DFSG-compliant OSF/Motif
+ library</em> should be compiled against and tested with LessTif
+ (a free re-implementation of Motif) instead. If the maintainer
+ judges that the program or programs do not work sufficiently well
+ with LessTif to be distributed and supported, but do so when
+ compiled against Motif, then two versions of the package should
+ be created; one linked statically against Motif and with
+ <tt>-smotif</tt> appended to the package name, and one linked
+ dynamically against Motif and with <tt>-dmotif</tt> appended to
+ the package name. Both Motif-linked versions are dependent upon
+ non-DFSG-compliant software and thus cannot be uploaded to the
+ main distribution; if the software is itself DFSG-compliant it
+ may be uploaded to the contrib distribution. While known
+ existing versions of OSF/Motif permit unlimited redistribution of
+ binaries linked against the library (whether statically or
+ dynamically), it is the package maintainer's responsibility to
+ determine whether this is permitted by the license of the copy of
+ OSF/Motif in his or her possession.
</p>
</sect>
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