> > How about including Star office 5.X on it? That is a free program, but
> > not sure if Sun would agree to it.
> This is not really free [for example, we pay royalties for each printed
> CD].
Fair, that's the way it is...
> For the moment our politics are to limit as much as possible the amount of
> non open-source stuff on main installation CD [which is, now, CD
> Installation and CD Extension]
OK, what however could be provided is some kind of "rpm-wrapper" for
these
"closed software" programs. Maybe some kind of mechanism can be made
which
performs the following tasks:
- An icon show up in a "to be installed closed software menu"
- When you click the icon, the software will be downloaded from the
software makers site ($un Micro$y$tem$ in this case) and an RPM
will be made & installed.
- Key is that the rpm which is made is "taylored" for mandrake. Which
means that the menu items are in place, the files are placed in a
work-able
place on the disk (according to the FS standards that mandrake lives
to),
etc. etc. etc.
Goal of this mechanism will be:
- Not needing to distribute this software with the CD's (royalties)
- User performs "task" (one mouse-click) to download & install the
software.
- User is provided with the "comfort" of a Mandrake packaged RPM.
- Updates of new "closed software" packages (acroread, staroffice,
WP??) can be provided with this mechanism.
I know it goes far...
Stefan van der Eijk
