Re: non-free but distributable packages and kernel firmware
Scripsit Floris Bruynooghe <fb102@soton.ac.uk>
> On Sat, Apr 09, 2005 at 01:17:02AM +1000, Anthony Towns wrote:
>> I wonder if it would be worth considering a "fsf-free" component that
>> offers a Packages file listing packages from non-free with the fsf-free
>> tag. Something like that might be non-disruptive and make it simpler for
>> the installer and users to deal with some of the more important
>> alternative stances on freedom to the DFSG.
> Personally I would like that. But making a separate Packages file for
> fsf-free raises other questions. Suppose one of the packages with
> fsf-free has a dependency on other non-free packages? How handle
> that?
Anthony has addressed the specific case of fsf-free. But in general my
advice would be just to create a Packages file with unfulfillable
dependencies in it. Since this happens regularly in unstable, apt
knows how to make sense of that, even though it might be disappointing
for the user.
If it's a real problem, free enterprise would eventually lead to
somebody generating abridged Packages files that excluded things not
installable within the defined tag combinations.
--
Henning Makholm "I can get fat! I can sing!"
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