Re: [AMENDMENT]: Release Etch now, with source-less but legal and freely licensed firmware

[Frank Küster <frank@debian.org>]

Hi,

to me, and it seems other, too, Manoj's amendment seemed clear.
However, Sven Luther has pointed out some points that could in fact be
clearer, and has also suggested to take 
http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/kernel/people/jurij/firmware-position-statement.txt?op=file&sc=1
into account.  I'll try to suggest some changes in wording to Manoj's
text that try to address these issues.

This is not a formal amemdment.  Rather, I'd like to openly discuss the
text. 

 >         The following is the full text of my Amendment
 > ,----
 > |  1. We affirm that our Priorities are our users and the free software
 > |     community (Social Contract #4);
 > |  2. We acknowledge that there is a lot of progress in the kernel
 > |     firmware issue; however, it is not yet finally sorted out; 
 > |  3. We assure the community that there will be no regressions in
 > |     the progress made for freedom in the kernel distributed by
 > |     Debian relative to the Sarge  release in Etch
 > |  4. We give priority to the timely release of Etch over sorting every
-> |     bit out; for this reason, we will treat removal of sourceless
+  |     bit out; for this reason, we will treat removal of non-free
 > |     firmware as a best-effort process, and deliver firmware in udebs as
 > |     long as it is necessary for installation (like all udebs), and

-> |     firmware included in the kernel itself as part of Debian Etch,
-> |     as long as we are legally allowed to do so, and the firmware is
-> |     distributed upstream under a license that complies with the DFSG. 

+  |     firmware included in the kernel itself as part of Debian Etch.
+  |     We allow inclusion into etch even if the way we distribute the
+  |     firmware leads to a violation of the license, if the current
+  |     license does not allow modification, or if there is no source
+  |     available. However, we still require that the firmware has a
+  |     license that, in principle, allows distribution (possibly under
+  |     conditions we currently cannot fully meet).
 > `----

What do you think?

Regards, Frank
-- 
Frank Küster
Single Molecule Spectroscopy, Protein Folding @ Inst. f. Biochemie, Univ. Zürich
Debian Developer (teTeX/TeXLive)