Re: The proposed GR: catch-22

[eichin@thok.org (Mark W. Eichin)]

> That is the message I am using now. I don't think it leaves much room for
> confusing non-free and Debian.

On the contrary, it reads like a very *weak* separation.  Suppose instead:

> Debian makes available some non-free software. Though this software is
> not part of Debian proper, it can be installed with apt. This software has
> limitations on its distribution, modification, and/or use. Do you want
> this software to be made available to you?

"Some non-free software has been made to work on Debian.  Though this
 software is not at all a part of debian, apt can be used to install
 it.  This software has varying licenses which may prevent you from
 using, modifying, or sharing it.  Do you want to have it available anyway?"

The key here is the first one or two sentences.  I think the confusion
lies in the "Debian-the-project" vs. "Debian-the-distribution"
distinction; the wording you quote is, after all,

"*Debian-the-project* makes available some non-free software. Though
 this software is not part of *Debian-the-distribution* proper, it can
 be installed with apt."

In order to avoid the confusion, my rewording is actually a *stronger*
statement, and one that does not really quite reflect current
reality... but if we ever get around to the "enhances"-based changes
we talked about with RMS, what, a year or so ago now?  then we'd
probably not even be having this dicussion, because there would
already be PureDebian and MomsDebian[1] and people would put on the
appropriately tinted shades[2] for their tastes.

			_Mark_ <eichin@thok.org>
			The Herd of Kittens
			Debian Package Maintainer

[1] I'm not going to explain to my Mom why for ideological reasons she
    can't hit her iwon or netbank pages because I can only install
    mozilla.  Mom is more pragmatic, and needs netscape :-)

[2] on the one side, "PureDebian is only free software, and that's all
    we ever need."  Certainly a wishful exaggeration.  On the other,
    "MomsDebian is practical, and doesn't really interfere with our
    goals of having good free software for every task."  Also wishful
    and/or fuzzy thinking :-)