Re: Proposal - non-free software removal

[Brian White <bcwhite@pobox.com>]

> > Pursuant to Appendix A of the Debian Constitution and the guidelines
> > offered at http://www.debian.org/vote/howto_proposal, I hereby offer
> > the following draft proposal as the beginning of a General Resolution
> > process to decide this issue.
> 
> i do NOT second this proposal.
> 
> if, however, it gains enough support that it will come to a vote, i
> propose the following amendment:
> 
> that the entire text of John Goerzen's proposal be replaced with
> 
>    "All Debian developers will be formally requested to renounce their
>    evil ways (if they have any), orphan any non-free packages they are
>    responsible for, request removal of said package(s) from the debian
>    ftp archive, and contribute their energies to free alternatives
>    instead.  This is a request, not an order - each developer will be
>    free to respond to or ignore the request as they see fit."
> 
> please do not second this amendment until & unless JG's proposed GR
> gains enough support to require a vote.

It seems that every couple years people get it in to their head that
Debian should only support that which is DFSG and actively renounce
everything else.

It's fine to support free software and encourage people to use it, but
bashing those that disagree with you has never been a particularly
good way to accomplish those results.  Let the unbelievers walk with
you and hopefully convert them along the path.

Dropping non-free would not help Debian.  Most users and few companies
are really concerned with the copyright on the packages they use as
long as they get the job done.  If you remove those things from Debian,
then those users will soon go to a distribution that gives them what
they want.

Now, some people will say "Good Riddence" to them, but that's akin to
cutting off your nose to spite your face.  Don't let personal biases
keep from making the best possible product for your customers.  We've
already got enough fanatacism in the world today; we don't need it
here.  I've had people bitch at me because I have packages that are
not GPL.  Indeed!  They're in the public domain!  (Which, for those who
aren't familiar with it, is even more "free" than the GPL.)

                                          Brian
                                  ( bcwhite@pobox.com )

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          Until we are first independent, we cannot be interdependent.