Re: Bug#915541: Removal of upstream "--will-cite" functionality has been reverted
On Fri, Sep 3, 2021 at 5:05 PM Felix Lechner <felix.lechner@lease-up.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 3, 2021 at 7:50 AM Tobias Frost <tobi@debian.org> wrote:
> >
> > But as said earlier: This is not a license issue; the license of GNU parallel
> > would allow removal, but this would make upstream sad.
> > The status quo is likely to mke our users sad, though.
Maybe it would help if the consequences were explained to them:
* Do you want the software with no citation notice and risk that the
maintainer will step down because he cannot afford spending time on it
- thus getting less free software in the long run?
* Or do you want to spend the 10 seconds it takes to silence the
notice if you don't want to see it?
I think more users would be more sad if the software was no longer
maintained. But you will no doubt get a few vocal exceptions.
But maybe there exists a third option.
> Maybe the debconf system can provide a choice? The default could be
> consistent with Debian's standards.
Can we agree that a click-wrap requires the user to actively do
something (e.g. clicking) before he can use the software? If so: The
citation notice is not a click-wrap, because the GNU Parallel will run
just fine without silencing the notice. It doesn't even break scripts.
It is still not clear to me how the default behaviour of the current
version of GNU Parallel conflicts with Debian's standards: The
citation notice provides you with useful information if you are a
researcher who publishes; it does not limit who can use the software.
If you believe it conflicts with Debian's standards, point to the
specific paragraph. (I accept that wording in version 20141022 was
unclear - and I can see how you could argue that back then).
The ultimate goal has never been to have a license notice. The goal is
to make it possible for me to spend time developing free software. In
practice this means either pay my salary or have GNU Parallel cited,
so it is easier for me to get a job that pays my salary.
It is unlikely that the Debian project will provide my salary, so let
us focus on the second part.
Before the license notice was implemented researchers forgot to cite
GNU Parallel; not because they did not want to honor the tradition,
but simply because they forgot. The citation notice changed this for
the better.
If there is a different way that will ensure researchers will not
forget, it would be acceptable to me.
I am open to (but not convinced) that a debconf choice would
accomplish this. If you believe it will, please elaborate how.
/Ole
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