Re: Debian and Non-Free Services
On 9/13/19 8:14 AM, Ansgar wrote:
> So assume I want to avoid using non-free DNS and CDN services, but still
> contribute to Debian. How should that work as long as Debian uses these
> services?
If you have in mind the CDN used for security updates, well it'd be a
nice idea if DSAs were thinking about moving away from that, since
that's non-free. That's not what this GR is about, but maybe we should
open the discussion as well.
> How should one contact people using non-free mail services?
> (mailto:non-free is probably not better than https://non-free...)
That's not what this GR is about either.
> Of course Debian can stop using CDN services and provide a worse
> experience for users, but why?
Because we care about the 4 freedom that we have with free software.
Why not, instead, create and use our own CDN service?
https://www.fromdev.com/2011/06/create-cdn-content-delivery-network.html
> Debian's goal is not to build and operate a free CDN service...
Right, it's not our final goal. Right, it's easier to just use a
non-free service. Though is the later what we really *should* be doing?
That's a very different question. Please, let's not mix them.
Yes, running our own services is time and resource demanding. But
there's a reason why we've been doing that for years... If the DSA team
doesn't want to do that, they have alternatives:
- Don't run such a service at all (and don't use a commercial service
either).
- Ask for help.
- Run on a commercial service, but make sure that what's underneath is
fully free software, and that it'd be feasible to set it up ourselves.
Cheers,
Thomas Goirand (zigo)
Reply to: