Re: Software in main that is throughly useless without non-free software
>>>>> Robert Woodcock writes:
RW> Gordon Matzigkeit wrote:
>> [Note: I'm not advocating tossing packages out of `main', I'm
>> arguing that we should make a symlinked-to-`main' distro called
>> `pure'. See my proposal.]
RW> You are talking about separating out main because of moral
RW> reasons, not technical reasons like the one behind contrib's
RW> creation in the first place, and I don't see a need for it.
Some software in main is totally useless to me because my computers
don't send/receive *any* information to/from non-free software, and
they run all the software in main.
`main' is big enough as it is. If we gut it, I'll have more room on
my tiny hard disk. More room to do important things, like write free
replacements for the packages we gutted.
Technical enough for ya?
KMH> So why not a reader for Word documents?
>> Only if the reader can also read documents produced by software
>> found in `main'. Otherwise, that reader *requires* non-main
>> software (MS Word) in order to be useful.
RW> It also assumes the person who wants to read the document is on
RW> the same computer, and is in fact the same person as the person
RW> who wrote the document.
Nope. It just assumes that they only communicate with people who run
Debian GNU (say a corporation that uses free software, but has no
access to the Internet).
RW> I'm saying the reason contrib exists is technical, and we should
RW> keep that in mind.
Nope, that's totally wrong. Ask the people who created the
non-free/contrib/main distinction in the first place.
That's like claiming that GNU exists because it just filled a
technical niche. It took RMS 15 years of dedicated hard work,
motivated by his morality to achieve what GNU has today. Try telling
him that he worked solely for technical reasons, and he'll tell you
you're wrong.
I'm not saying that he wrote everything, only that he's the best
example I have of somebody who's truly dedicated his life to free
software.
RW> You'll also find most people are against another section for any
RW> reason (see debian-devel archives last year regarding the 'cd-ok'
RW> section flame war).
I'd like to propose something tangible and put it to a vote, if
necessary.
If it gets defeated, and nobody lets me have my way, then I'll just
grab full snapshots of the Debian machines, and go off and fork a
freer-than-Debian distribution over at gnu.org. I think you'd be
surprised at the number of people who would abandon Debian in a flash
to join a `pure GNU' distribution (as well as the number of people who
would instantly join `pure GNU,' but aren't considering switching to
Debian).
This is not a threat, because I have great confidence that we can
resolve any difficulties internally. What I'm proposing (`pure') fits
very nicely inside the current structures of Debian, with just a few
trivial technical changes. Debian is very resilient, and so I'm sure
we'll find a way to coexist even if we can't agree.
--
Gordon Matzigkeit <gord@fig.org> //\ I'm a FIG (http://www.fig.org/)
Committed to freedom and diversity \// I use GNU (http://www.gnu.org/)
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