Hi Dirk! On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 8:48 PM, Dirk Eddelbuettel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > So I finally got tagged with the infamous [1] 'these docs are non-free and > cannot be in main' for the GNU Scientific Library (GNU GSL) that I've been > maintaining for most of the last decade. Details are at > http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=495935 > > Now, to be honest, I don't have too much motivation to work on chopping the > upstream sources into so-called free and non-free pieces, and re-arranging > the build system to create the manual (when the outside configure script is > on the code package). And this will have to be done with every new > release. Sigh. > > So help would be welcome. I'd also be open to group maintenance, and/or > inserting it into debian-science or debian-scicomp or whatever it is now > called as group-maintenance by svn works quite well for Open MPI [2] and I > have too many packages anyway. > > Obviously, I won't let this keep GSL from getting into Lenny so if noone > helps I can always do a hack job myself. But as I said above, I am not too > motivated to work on an issue that I personally find too hair-splitting. [3] > > Dirk > > > [1] To me, at least > [2] Hi, Sylvestre, and thanks again for your help in setting that up! > [3] No implied criticism of debian-legal etc here. I am happy about their > work. I just think it's silly that we as Debian argue 'freedom' with > the FSF as both definitions are reasonable yet moving stuff outside > Debian into non-free is a net loss to everyone.
Indeed, this is very unfortunate. Another example of this is the Czech-English dictionary: http://packages.debian.org/en/sid/stardict-english-czech which the author assembled by inviting people over the net to help him put the words in over the web interface so that we have a truly "free" czech english dictionary, but he also use GFDL for it, so it ended up in Debian non-free. Well, what to say... I believe thought that people should not be using GFDL, simply because there are many people in Debian who honestly think it is non-free. One can try to persuade (most?) of Debian people that GDFL is free enough, but a better way is to use more free license, like GPL or BSD and be done with it. Ondrej -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
