On 2004-01-06 13:37:12 +0000 Sven Luther <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
I maintain a non-free package, the unicorn driver, which is really
almost GPLed, except for its dependence on a soft ADSL library where
not
even the manufacturer of the hardware has the source for. [...]
The discussion on -legal about this starts with
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2002/debian-legal-200211/msg00076.html
There seemed to be a few "not sure" comments along the way. It may be
worth asking -legal again, including whether it is possible to package
the non-softlib part in contrib? Other interesting things would be
trying to find someone who can produce a free software alternative
(reverse engineering perhaps?), and what [EMAIL PROTECTED] has to say
about this case and whether any of it can be free software.
Anyway, i as debian devel want to be free to use the debian
infrastructure
to distribute this driver, and the use of the BTS to communicate with
my
users, which find the the package usefull, even if it is not in main.
Why do you want to use debian mirrors and BTS? If there is good
support for using another donated infrastructure, would that suffice?
So, the aim of this whole discussion is about what kind of work can be
done inside of debian. These people with their non-free GR, apart from
loosing everyone's time, are trying to impose on me what i can work on
inside of debian, without even bothering to look at the issues in
detail, and answering arguments made against their case. I guess some
of
the contributors may not even be debian devels.
The question is fairly basic, I agree. Why should work which doesn't
help to develop a free software operating system be done inside the
debian project? Do we already "impose" on people what can be
distributed as part of debian by using the DFSG?
I think you are mostly wrong about "without even bothering to look at
the issues in detail". Many of the participants here (with a range of
viewpoints) are active on -legal and look at these sorts of issues
frequently. Maybe some of us have missed issues about ceasing non-free
support which you should point out, or maybe you consider them with
different importance.
Finally, you are as capable as any of us to check who is a DD. Why
guess?
--
MJR/slef My Opinion Only and possibly not of any group I know.
Please http://remember.to/edit_messages on lists to be sure I read
http://mjr.towers.org.uk/ gopher://g.towers.org.uk/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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