Re: General Resolution: Removing non-free
John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org> writes:
> > if you don't want to use non-free software, then don't use it but
> > please don't tell me how to live my life. i'll make my choices, and if
> > this resolution passes i guess it will be time for me to leave the
> > project and find another distribution to use. too bad because i really
> > liked debian.
>
> I'm not. You can use non-free software all you want. Why do people
> continuously fallaciously assume that removing non-free software from
> debian.org will suddenly mean that it will disappear from the entire
> planet?!
>
>
one of the advantages of using software which is part of the
distribution is that the said software was tested as an integral part
of the distribution. of course i can download software (free and
non-free) by myself and install it on my system. but that's
inconvenient. i am getting paid to do physics not to take care of
computers (which i do for fun). i don't have one computer, i have
many. i trust packages distributed by debian. i know if there is a
problem i can submit a bug report which will be taken care of. i
already have to fight hard enough to have debian running on our
machine. the distribution of choice in high energy physics is red hat.
i stuck with debian (despite the fact that at times it makes my life
more complicated) because all packages are tested together as part of
one distribution. as part of my job i have to use non-free packages:
java, afs (and i tried arla for a while but compile/link times where
more than 2.5 times longer when using arla rather than afs. and when
it takes 50mins to link a program this is no fun) and so on. i try to
put as much time in the development of free software (this is why i
became a debian developer), but being a physicists + system
administrator is more than a full time job.
so ,no, non-free software will not disappear from the planet but if
it's not part of the distribution it will make it harder for people
like me to use it. i will have the choice of downloading it from
source and compile it on 20 different machines, or try to make deb
packages and in essence become a de facto maintainer for extra
packages. having spent the last day and a half fighting with ssh and
trying to get the afs/kerberose4 patches integrated, this is time i
can hardly afford (yes, i would also like to spend more time at home
reading, or going to see a play, or just relaxing).
non-free is already not part of the distribution, so why does it
bother you? just don't use it. why can't people who volunteer their
time make use of debian resources. they are not yours, or mine, they
are ours together. i don't think any piece of hardware/bandwidth was
donated with the explicit restriction that it be used only for free
software.
and, of course, if this stupid resolution passes, we can always set up
an alternative distribution which makes use of the free debian
packages (at least at the beginning) and adds on the non-free
packages. and you guys can spend the whole time debating the merits of
free software and congratulate yourself on how morally superior you
are. fro me linux is not really a religion (although people who know
me might be surprised to hear me say this). i am more pragmatic than
that (not being religious in real life either). i use linux because it
is a fantastic tool when doing my job as a physicist. i started using
linux in october of 92, and starting with 95 i managed to persuade
various collaborations i worked on to use linux. so i guess you don't
use any other operating systems either. good for you. but those of us
living in the real world do, and personally i have no problem with
that. computers are tools. it would be nice if all the programs where
open source, but it's not up to me to tell people how to write them.
so instead of being on a moral crusade against non-free software you
better get busy working on replacements for non-free software (if you
want to take the moral high ground). just because something is not
there it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. it does, but in other
distributions. debian will become the laughing stock. you will be seen
as some vocal lunatics (just like the religious right in american
politics). you might have some influence, but so what. extremists
don't really appeal to me and i try not to be associated with such
nuts.
now it's time to go back to doing physics (and start looking into
other distributions).
--alex--
--
| I believe the moment is at hand when, by a paranoiac and active |
| advance of the mind, it will be possible (simultaneously with |
| automatism and other passive states) to systematize confusion |
| and thus to help to discredit completely the world of reality. |
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