Re: Sponsoring a Tails hackfest?

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Jonas Smedegaard writes ("Re: Sponsoring a Tails hackfest?"):
> Quoting Holger Levsen (2014-05-05 12:24:41)
> > Debian Edu sid is 100% Debian.
...
> Does that mean bug#311188 is fixed?  Or have things changed since your 
> decision to lower that bugreport?

I don't think it is right to criticise the Debian Edu developers for
the approach they have taken.

The whole point of Debian being Free Software is that people have the
right to modify the software we ship.  That applies even (I would say
especially!) if they want to modify it in ways we don't like, for
example because we don't think they are technically correct.  And it
is not just a legal right; it's a moral right too.

So, absent other reasons for concern, we should not criticise Debian
derivatives for their decision to diverge from Debian.  Building a
Debian derivative needs to be made easier (including politically), and
more common, not harder and rarer.

I fully understand why Debian's policy rules exist (indeed, the rule
about not editing conffiles, referred to in #311188, was first
promulgated by me).  But I also understand why people want to write
configuration helper packages.

That our system doesn't properly support configuration helper packages
is a deficiency in Debian.  It is a difficult technical problem, whose
solution will probably involve a good deal of both technical effort
and consensus-building and negotiation.  It is quite understandable
that a group such as Debian Edu, who are trying to solve a particular
problem, choose not to shave that particular yak and instead live with
the consequences.

If this situation displeases you, the right approach is to try to help
improve Debian's (meta)configuration architecture.  Posting brickbats
(or sarcastic messages) about the Debian Edu team is not appropriate.


For the record, I am very pleased that Debian is considering
financially supporting Tails and I urge the DPL to go ahead with the
proposed sponsorship.

I am also pleased to hear (which I apparently overlooked at the time)
that Debian helped sponsor the Debian Edu sprint referred to
previously in this thread.

There is IMO nothing wrong with Debian supporting its derivatives with
money (as well as with software, which of course we already do).  Our
starting point with a derivative should be to see them as an ally.  In
the case of Tails, their values and goals are well-aligned with ours.

Thanks,
Ian.