Hi folks, Ever since the sarge release, an ongoing question has been: what do the DFSG require for works that are not "programs" as previously understood in Debian? Several rounds of general resolutions have now given us answers for some subclasses of non-program works, but debate still rages regarding one particularly important class: firmware for peripheral devices. Andi Barth and I have discussed how we think the DFSG requirements apply to firmware and have fairly similar views on the subject, but we also know that there are other viewpoints within the project, so we're reluctant to make a unilateral decision about firmware handling for the etch release policy without finding out how the project as a whole feels about it. In the meantime, the ongoing discussions within the kernel team and without have shed, as they say, more heat than light on the subject, so I feel it's time to answer this question so we can stop being paralyzed by these differences of opinion, agree to disagree, and move forward with the work that needs to be done for etch -- whichever set of work we decide that is. So below is a proposal that I'm seeking seconds on to establish how DFSG#2 should be understood to apply to firmware -- i.e., that for Debian's purposes firmware should be considered data, not programs, and along with other data we should only encourage, not require, source code for firmware included in main. This GR is a position statement, not an amendment to the foundation documents, which means a couple of things. First, it's my understanding that there is no 3:1 supermajority requirement here; while the Project Secretary has the procedural authority to require a supermajority for the vote, I'm likely to consider a GR that fails with > 50% of the vote to be an endorsement by the project and proceed accordingly for etch. Second, if developers disagree with this resolution, they are free to ignore it and follow the demands of their own conscience in their Debian work -- no one is ever *required* to ship a work in main that they believe is not free enough for Debian -- they'll just have a statement that the release team, and a majority of voting developers in Debian, disagree with them attempting to impose this opinion on others. It's my hope that this strikes a reasonable balance between respecting the views of individual developers and advancing a viable policy for the project so that we can move forward together on the goal of making each Debian release a first-class, free operating system. So, without further ado: The application of DFSG#2 to firmware and other data ==================================================== The Debian Project recognizes that access to source code for a work of software is very important for software freedom, but at the same time "source" is often not a well-defined concept for works other than those traditionally considered "programs". The most commonly cited definition is that found in version 2 of the GNU GPL, "the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it," but for non-program works, it is not always clear that requiring this "source" as a precondition of inclusion in main is in the best interest of our users or advances the cause of Free Software: - The author's preferred form for modification may require non-free tools in order to be converted into its final "binary" form; e.g., some device firmware, videos, and graphics. - The preferred form for modification may be orders of magnitude larger than the final "binary" form, resulting in prohibitive mirror space requirements out of proportion to the benefits of making this source universally available; e.g., some videos. - The "binary" and "source" forms of a work may be interconvertible with no data loss, and each may be the preferred form for modification by different users with different tools at their disposal; e.g., some fonts. While the Debian Free Software Guidelines assert that source code is a paramount requirement for programs, they do not state that this is the case for non-program works, which permits us to consider whether one of the above points justifies a pragmatic concession to the larger context within which Free Software operates. THE DEBIAN PROJECT therefore, 1. reaffirms its dedication to providing a 100% free system to our users according to our Social Contract and the DFSG; and 2. encourages authors of all works to make those works available not only under licenses that permit modification, but also in forms that make such modifications practical; and 3. supports the decision of the Release Team to require works such as images, video, and fonts to be licensed in compliance with the DFSG without requiring source code for these works under DFSG #2; and 4. determines that for the purposes of DFSG #2, device firmware shall also not be considered a program. ============================================================================== Cheers, -- Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world. vorlon@debian.org http://www.debian.org/
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