Re: drop or keep non-free - from users viewpoint
On 08 Mar 2004 13:49:57 -0800, Thomas Bushnell, BSG <tb@becket.net> said:
> Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr> writes:
>> On Mon, Mar 08, 2004 at 11:46:42AM -0800, Thomas Bushnell, BSG
>> wrote:
>> > Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr> writes:
>> >
>> > > If i am stopped from maintaining the driver for the ADSL modem
>> > > that provides me access to the internet, and thus enables me to
>> > > do my debian work, will you step in and pay me (and others who
>> > > use the same modem) a new adsl modem that is supported by
>> > > non-free software.
>> >
>> > How could the removal of non-free stop you from maintaining the
>> > driver?
>>
>> No more BTS ? no more download area.
> You could still maintain it; since your purpose is to have access to
> the internet through this modem, you would still be able to do that
> whether you were distributing the work to other people or not.
But then everyone else who is saving their time by using
Sven's driver would have to duplicate it, and that may be a
significant amount of time lost that culd have gone towards
something more useful (anyone who can generate a new driver
has a modicum of technical competence). Even worse, someone
transitioning to Debian, helped by that driver, shall no longer have
access, and not yet being able to compile their own drivers, leave --
and we have lost a future contributor.
> And since there are plenty of good free bug-tracking systems out
> there (including the BTS), you will have the option of using those
> if they are important to you.
Ah. More vapourware solutions. I think that the people using
non-free software in a mostly free OS, who may be trying to
transition fully to a free system, would find their task of moving
to a free operating system significantly hindered.
manoj
--
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in a $200,000 MALIBU BEACH HOUSE!!
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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