DEBIAN CD POLICY CHANGES
Recently we have been working on some changes to the Debian CD policy.
There's been a good deal of misunderstanding about those changes, so
please let me take this opportunity to set it straight.
A number of users have complained that the only way they can get Debian
as part of the Linux 6-CD Grab Bag type of CD packages. This is a
problem for them becuase they would like to be able to run Debian for
their schools or businesses. Many managers are reluctant to allow use
of a system if they can't see a professional-looking package with the
name of the system on its cover, and professional services such as a
telephone help desk. Unfortunately, there's currently no Debian CD
that looks like a real product, and there's no user-support
organization other than our mailing list. Our mailing list does a
tremendous job at user support, but non-Linux-literate managers have a
problem accepting it as the only support channel.
We really do want people to be able to run Debian at their schools and
businesses. Thus, we must choose from one of these alternatives:
1. Everyone who currently works for a non-Linux-literate manager should
replace their manager with a Linux-literate one before Debian 1.3
is released.
2. We should make Debian more palatable to managers so that we can
be allowed to use it at school and work.
We've come up with a plan for solution #2.
Many Linux distributions currently sell their own CDs, and have control
over their packaging, etc. We decided that Debian should not be in the
CD business and we should continue to allow any CD manufacturer to
produce Debian CDs. However, we would like to encourage those
manufacturers to produce a professional-looking Debian product.
We will do this by producing a CD master (actually an ISO image file)
of each release and allowing CD Manufacturers to duplicate it, in a
package designed by the Debian project, as the official Debian CD. We
will ask these manufacturers to donate the astronomical fee of $2 per
unit in money or services to the Debian project in exchange for being
allowed to produce the official CD. The donation per unit actually
pledged by the manufacturer to the project will be printed on the
package and publicized on our web page. In the case of cash donations,
we will use the funds to pay for the petty cash expenses of the
project. In addition, we will retain the current policy, which allows
anyone to produce a Debian CD without donating anything, but we'd like
those people to call their CD something without the word official in it.
We will designate a software consultant to operate a self-supporting
Debian help desk that takes phone calls. Currently, I get a number of
phone calls here at Pixar, and it's really not appropriate for me to
handle them on company time, so those people don't get helped. The
help-desk is not meant to replace the fine technical help on
debian-user, it's just a means for people who want a conventional
help-desk to have one.
I want to make it very clear that we are not making any other changes in
the Debian project. We are not becoming a commercial company. We are not
turning away from the philosophy of free software. We are not stopping
anyone from selling Debian CDs. We are not going to break off our cordial
relationships with other Linux distributors who already sell their own
CDs. We are not planning a Microsoft-like product.
All of this paragraph sounds absurd, but it's what we have been accused
of in the last few days, so I thought I'd mention it. All we are doing
is giving CD manufacturers a new option, without in any way changing
the way they distribute Debian today.
For some reason a number of people have had a difficult time understanding
this. If you _still_ think that selling $2 CDs will in some way corrupt
the morals of the project, I invite you to correspond with me personally.
For some reason discussing this on the list leads to massive distortion.
Perhaps personal email will work better.
Thanks
Bruce Perens
Debian Project Leader
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