Bug#451502: hplip is NON-FREE as of 2.7.10
On Fri, 16 Nov 2007, Bruce Sass wrote:
> The code which looks after installing the plugins resides primarily in:
> - /usr/share/hplip/setup.py at lines 399-538
> - /usr/share/hplip/installer/core_install.py at lines 1257+
>
> I'm not sure if this situation requires: moving HPLIP into contrib, a
> notice that `some HP printers require a non-free driver which can not be
> distributed by Debian', or if it can simply be ignored.
>
> I'm leaning towards the last option because I don't think HPLIP would be
> considered non-free if the drivers were shipped with the printer. It is
> only HPLIP's ability to install non-free sowtware IF necessary which brings
> this issue to the forefront.
I'd just remove the auto-download functionality, and *package* the plugins
in non-free. One can make hplip suggest (but not recommend or depend) on
the plugin package, even if it is in non-free, AFAIK.. The plugin package
can depend on hplip.
HPLIP itself is self-contained and works just fine for the majority of the
printers without the plugins, so not only it is not a dependency or even a
case for recommends, but also it doesn't justify bumping hplip to contrib.
One should also notify users of the plugin package existence in the README
file, and also of the removal of the auto-download functionality in the
NEWS.Debian package, IMO.
--
"One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
Henrique Holschuh
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