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Re: question for all: Content of packages



On Sat, Mar 16, 2002 at 10:37:18PM -0600, Scott Dier wrote:
> Since at least one person has off-handedly suggested that an elected
> official, such as the DPL, should handle package content disputes, I
> bring this question.
> 
> Do you feel the DPL should be involved in these sorts of things?

Only as a last resort.

> Do you feel that 'offensive' package content should be handled by
> another elected offical of some sort?

No, I don't believe we need a Ministry of Truth.

> And, optionally, do you have an opinion on how 'offensive' package
> content should be handled?

I believe package content in this respect should be left to the
maintainer's discretion, which should include a healthy respect for a
deference to the integrity of the upstream source.

I also think that the only acceptable place for gatekeeping is at the
user level.  That means not uploading a package that Conflicts with
another because the latter has the "F-word" in it.  Those who want to
embark on bowdlerization projects should probably host their efforts
from a different site.

I can envision a "grep-package" tool that could be generally useful, and
which could pull down pattern and rule sets from URL's.  Written with a
sufficiently broad intent, this could enable far more, and far nobler
things, than just censorship.

-- 
G. Branden Robinson                |       Psychology is really biology.
Debian GNU/Linux                   |       Biology is really chemistry.
branden@debian.org                 |       Chemistry is really physics.
http://people.debian.org/~branden/ |       Physics is really math.

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