Re: call for seconds: on firmware

[Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au>]

Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org> writes:

> It appears what you don't understand is what the DFSG actually says,
> since you're playing word substitution games with the text.

An accusation that could easily be made from many contradictory
positions. The DFSG is not unambiguous in its wording, which of course
leads to these conflicting interpretations, and leads us to call
General Resolutions in some cases.

Fortunately, in the case of programmatic works and DFSG §2, the Debian
project has *already* voted on the interperatation and decided
<URL:http://www.debian.org/vote/2006/vote_004> that the requirement
for source code applies to all programmatic works in Debian:

   … the Debian Project:

   Reaffirms that programmatic works distributed in the Debian system
   (IE, in main) must be 100% Free Software, regardless of whether the
   work is designed to run on the CPU, a subsidiary processing unit,
   or by some other form of execution. That is, works must include the
   form that the copyright holder or upstream developer would actually
   use for modification.

There are doubtless many other hairs to split in the DFSG, but that
one, at least, has been resolved.

Maybe /you've/ promised not to distribute any works without source
code in Debian. The Debian project has done no such thing.