Debian and non-free (Re: Savannah rejects a project because it uses GPL)

[MJ Ray]

"Alfred M. Szmidt" <ams at gnu.org>
> The Debian project clearly is inventing what is `free' by
> extrapolating the rights for `Free Software' to all branches of
> digital content.

As I'm sure I've written before, Debian does not do that. It
only has one way of allowing things in the distribution at the
moment, by deciding whether software is free software at the
moment, so that is applied to everything. It's the only way
to get consensus to include something. That non-discrimination
of content type fits in with some of Eben Moglen's writing AFAICT.

Some DDs and users are a bit casual with the wording and write
"free" instead of "free software", "follows the DFSG" or "is
acceptable in main" because there's only one way in today.

> This is absurd by all logical means, and it can be
> summed up by `nobody should have the right to modify what I think'.

Much as we're trying to explain the many and varied problems
with the FDL, I think you've demonstrated how impossible it is
to modify what you think!

[...]
> I cannot run the Emacs manual and get an output.  Clearly, the Emacs
> manual isn't a functional work in the same sense a program is.

Again, some disagree and think you can run a playbook or workbook
on a human or group and produce a result. It's not good to call
everyone who simply disagrees with you a liar.

-- 
MJR/slef
My Opinion Only: see http://people.debian.org/~mjr/
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