On Fri, Jun 2, 2023 at 6:29 AM Neal Gompa <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> On Fri, Jun 2, 2023 at 5:40 AM Steve Cossette <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Good morning to you all,
> >
> > I was thinking about packaging Yuzu for Fedora. Yuzu is an emulator for the 
> > Nintendo Switch, which requires you to dump your Nintendo Switch's firmware 
> > to work. (I believe the emulator will actually start without the firmware, 
> > but you won't be able to go far without it).
> >
>
> Strictly speaking, Yuzu does not require the Switch firmware. As it
> notes on its own website, some games require it to access specific
> data that isn't replicated in their own code yet. But for Yuzu to be
> useful, it is *not* required. I personally own games that work without
> Switch firmware.
>
> > As far as I understand the legal instructions from the Fedora wiki 
> > (https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/legal/misc/#_emulators):
> >
> > ------
> > Some emulators (applications which emulate another platform) are not 
> > permitted for inclusion in Fedora Linux. These rules will help you 
> > determine if an emulator is acceptable for Fedora.
> >
> > Emulators which depend on firmware or ROM files to function may not be 
> > included in Fedora Linux, unless the copyright holder(s) for the 
> > firmware/ROM files give clear permission for the firmware/ROM files to be 
> > distributed (either under a Fedora allowed license or a Fedora 
> > allowed-firmware license). Note: This only covers the situation where an 
> > emulator will not run at all without firmware/ROM files. For example, 
> > emulators that compile and run, but ship with no game ROMs are not covered 
> > by this rule.
> >
> > Emulators must not ship with any ROM files (e.g. games) unless those ROM 
> > files are available under a Fedora allowed license and have been built from 
> > source code in the Fedora buildsystem.
> >
>
> Yuzu satisfies this rule, as it functions without the Switch firmware
> data just fine, and can be used as a programming environment for
> Switch applications.
>
> > Emulators must not point to any third-party sites which provide firmware or 
> > ROM files that are distributed without the clear and explicit permission of 
> > their copyright holders.
> >
>
> Yuzu satisfies this rule, as the only documentation it provides is how
> you can get the stuff from *your own* Switch. And it's a fully
> optional process for being able to get your *own* games from your
> *own* Switch. There is no link to third-party sites with archives of
> Switch firmware nor third-party sites with Switch game dumps.
>
> Their FAQ entry also reinforces this:
> https://yuzu-emu.org/wiki/faq/#how-do-i-get-games
>
> It is generally accepted that it is legal for you to run your own
> stuff under emulation. That's why emulators are able to exist, and why
> Fedora allows them.
>
> > All other Fedora licensing and packaging rules apply to emulators.
> > --------
> >
> > That emulator does indeed not include any roms or firmware. But it gives 
> > you a fully fleshed out guide on how to rip it from your Nintendo Switch 
> > (https://yuzu-emu.org/help/quickstart/) and gives links to hack tools.
> >
> > Can such a software be packaged for Fedora?
>
> I believe so based on the reasoning above, but someone else can chime in.

I'm not sure this is OK for Fedora. We'll have to look at this a
little more closely.

Richard
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