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Re: Request for help with GNU GSL package re-org



Hi Dirk!

On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 8:48 PM, Dirk Eddelbuettel <edd@debian.org> wrote:
>
> So I finally got tagged with the infamous [1] 'these docs are non-free and
> cannot be in main' for the GNU Scientific Library (GNU GSL) that I've been
> maintaining for most of the last decade.  Details are at
>        http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=495935
>
> Now, to be honest, I don't have too much motivation to work on chopping the
> upstream sources into so-called free and non-free pieces, and re-arranging
> the build system to create the manual (when the outside configure script is
> on the code package).  And this will have to be done with every new
> release. Sigh.
>
> So help would be welcome.  I'd also be open to group maintenance, and/or
> inserting it into debian-science or debian-scicomp or whatever it is now
> called as group-maintenance by svn works quite well for Open MPI [2] and I
> have too many packages anyway.
>
> Obviously, I won't let this keep GSL from getting into Lenny so if noone
> helps I can always do a hack job myself. But as I said above, I am not too
> motivated to work on an issue that I personally find too hair-splitting.  [3]
>
> Dirk
>
>
> [1] To me, at least
> [2] Hi, Sylvestre, and thanks again for your help in setting that up!
> [3] No implied criticism of debian-legal etc here. I am happy about their
>    work. I just think it's silly that we as Debian argue 'freedom' with
>    the FSF as both definitions are reasonable yet moving stuff outside
>    Debian into non-free is a net loss to everyone.

Indeed, this is very unfortunate. Another example of this is the
Czech-English dictionary:

http://packages.debian.org/en/sid/stardict-english-czech

which the author assembled by inviting people over the net to help him
put the words in over the web interface so that we have a truly "free"
czech english dictionary, but he also use GFDL for it, so it ended up
in Debian non-free.

Well, what to say...

I believe thought that people should not be using GFDL, simply because
there are many people in Debian who honestly think it is non-free. One
can try to persuade (most?) of Debian people that GDFL is free enough,
but a better way is to use more free license, like GPL or BSD and be
done with it.

Ondrej


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