I hereby second the below-quoted GR proposal. --Jeroen On Tue, Aug 22, 2006 at 03:18:04PM -0700, Steve Langasek wrote: > 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. -- Jeroen van Wolffelaar Jeroen@wolffelaar.nl (also for Jabber & MSN; ICQ: 33944357) http://Jeroen.A-Eskwadraat.nl
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