On Thu, Dec 02, 1999 at 11:10:56AM -0500, Raul Miller wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 02, 1999 at 07:20:39PM +1000, Anthony Towns wrote:
> > I don't think that's any worse than having a GPL-compatible package
> > reference a non-GPL-compatible package, if we were to have a gpl-only
> > distribution.
> Huh?
> If we were building an independent (not debian) distribution
> then I can see your point.
Suppose we were to have four distributions, instead of three: non-free,
contrib, main and gpl-only. gpl-only being that subset of main which is
gpl-compatible.
Sure, if I choose to limit myself to software from main, it's annoying to
be pestered about contrib or non-free software that I might want --- I've
already decided I don't want it no matter how trendy it is.
The same thing applies to if I choose to limit myself to software from
gpl-only --- it'd be similarly annoying to be pestered about install Qt or
whatever. I don't want to even be tempted to write code that I can't GPL.
Changing gnome-apt and dselect to only display Suggests: if the suggested
package exists would fix this situation too, without even trying.
> > Personally, I think as far as words in a packages file go, or as far as
> > the output from dpkg -s goes, we ought to be satisfied with just ensuring
> > that suggests: foo is only done from a Debian package if foo is another
> > Debian package.
> Exactly.
Not exactly, then, fine. "We ought to be satisfied with just ensuring that
Suggests: foo is only done from a package distributed/supported by Debian
if foo is another package distributed/supported by Debian".
We've promised to keep Debian free. And make it not depend on non-free stuff.
We've promised to care about our user's, which means not randomly annoying
them if they're obsessive about free software.
Sorry, but I don't think that extends to never even mentioning non-free
software where a free-software-obsessive might happen to come across it.
Cheers,
aj
--
Anthony Towns <aj@humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
I don't speak for anyone save myself. GPG encrypted mail preferred.
``The thing is: trying to be too generic is EVIL. It's stupid, it
results in slower code, and it results in more bugs.''
-- Linus Torvalds
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