Re: Negative Summary of the Split Proposal
> > The separation is visible when you look for it. But right now there
> > is no easy way to distribute the Official Debian system, or refer users
> > to it, without blatantly advertising the non-free packages too.
> > That is what I would like to be able to do.
> Wait. This is not true. You are free to set up a mirror at
> ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/debian where non-free and contrib are left
> aside. The same applies for the OfficialCD, the first two CDs
> only contain main, which is the official Debian distribution.
> I would be glad if you would provide such a mirror.
Considering the distribution requirements of Debian and the coverage
desired, such a change amounts to an unused mirror and an unknown
alternative. The concern here is that since the non-free section is
incompatible with the goals/philosophy of the Debian Project (in part)
and the GNU Project (as a whole) that we should not give them the free
ride that they get by being apparently just another part of the project.
While that is a good idea, I would not try to do anything about it.
Why violate my principles? Well, I'm not. Personally I don't *LIKE* the
non-free section but eliminating it is not the answer. As RMS
occasionally reminds us, we're part of a cause (whether we like it or
not). The Debian Project exists to make a free alternative to the
non-free world. However, until many of the packages in non-free have been
satisfactorily replaced, Debian is incomplete. Distribution of an
incomplete system (even if it is the Right Thing(TM) ) is a recipe for
failure.
I'm reminded of the current problem with Perl/Perl5 occurring in the
Potato package tree. We know we need to go to Perl-5.005, but in doing
so, one would currently have to uninstall all of the non-Perl-5.005
packages (many packages that are necessary for important things). So,
since the newest version of Perl is the "right" version, do I leave out
all of the non-Perl-5.005 packages that I really need to function? No, I
hold back my packages until the inconvenience of them being old Perl
pressures them to be replaced or converted.
Non-free is a symptom of a disease--free alternatives to some software do
not exist. We should not make the quick fix and treat the symptom.
Treat the disease. Restrictive licenses and competitive free software
will eventually make non-free go away. Don't scratch the itch and
irritate your skin in the process--cure the rash!
Jayson Vantuyl
Tired Neophyte Zealot
Debian Advocate
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