Re: Debian and non-free
Manoj Srivastava wrote:
I think that dilutes the message that those packages are
non-free, and reduces pressure on the authors to release the
documentation under a free license.
main
non-free
programs
documents
firmware
art-work
games
I prefer a division by reasons (but it would be a lot more complex,
so probably not feasible):
non-free:
firmware
hardware/software "dilemma"
not-enough-free
trademarks, patents, non-commercial,
legal concerns, etc.
e.g. GFDL, various non-free compression programs
standards
and RFC. This is more a political decision
historical/emulators
i.e. old binaries/BIOS, which could maybe seen
as orphan works. Some fans could try to free
the code
free-alternative-not-yet-available
the worse category
free-alternative-available
- as netscape and areader, they should be removed
when good alternative are available.
- as for flash: waiting for other project to mature
(which is soon expected)
artwork
compatibility
- e.g. commercial fonts.
-I think JDK is in this category: available good
alternative, but some people need it for
compatibility.
- Maybe also some keys, certificates
Anyway, reading the list of non-free software, I think we could remove
some of the package, e.g.
- album: there are a lot of free alternatives
- agrep: why not packing the old version?
- autodir: we need a free alternative!
- axe: is it obsolete? (last upload in 2006)
- crossvc: obolete?
ciao
cate
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