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Re: gnuplot

> > So I see the following options:
> > 
> >   - change policy to let these packages go into non-free too
> >     (This will result in a "less supported" non-free distribution. Right
> >     now, non-free is maintained and as bug free as main, though the
> >     programs have more restricted licenses.)
> > 
> >   - set up a new distribution for such packages, I suggest the name
> >     "unsupported"
> > 
> >   - drop these packages from our archive (I don't think this is an option
> >     in the case of "gnuplot", since it's widely used.)
> 
> 
> I think it is an option, just do the same as we do with the netscape
> package. We should be influencing gnuplot's licencing, not the
> other way around.
> 
> 
> But anyway, it should be possible to stick the "original" binary-only
> in contrib:
>   2.1.4 The contrib distribution
> 
>    Packages
>      * whose copyright permission notices (or patent problems) allow only
>        distribution of compiled binaries (and thus of which only binaries
>        are available), or
> 
>   (in gnuplot's case, distribution of the binary-only is certainly
>   allowed)
> 
>      * which are buggy and no longer maintained, but are preserved for
>        backward compatibility, or
> 
>   (we could claim that we cannot maintain gnuplot)
> 
>      * which fail to meet some other policy requirements,
>       
>   (gnuplot certainly does!).
> 
> 
> So in all:
>   - we can still play around with gnuplot even with the silly gnuplot
>     licence.
>   - we shouldn't change our guidelines because of silly licencis
>     other people have.

You realy love these guidlines, Joost, don't you?
It is not the reason to think that those who don't are silly though.
Situation with gnuplot just shows that it is not the time to become more
strict regarding policy on license requirements. If we realize, much too
often we hear on license changes recently. If we continue to be that
strict, we gonna end up with 3 packages in the main distribution, not
including even kernel  (development of this i2o thing in the undesired
direction might lead to that). 

Get real, failure to be placed into the Debian main distribution is not
the way of influence licensing.

Sure, in case of gnuplot, we can just have binary-only release in contrib.
But the world would be way too simple to deal with if all the software
satisfy our FSG. And all attempts to simplify it failed in the past.
(I am sure you can come up with examples yourself, in case you would like
to know what I mean, I can explain in private email - this is not the
topic suitable to this list).

Don't you think that in addition of shiny goal (FSG for all) we would also
have solid and reasonable rules to deal with the real world.

Thank you.

Alex Y.

> 
> -- 
> joost witteveen, joostje@debian.org
> #!/usr/bin/perl -sp0777i<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<j]dsj
> $/=unpack('H*',$_);$_=`echo 16dio\U$k"SK$/SM$n\EsN0p[lN*1
> lK[d2%Sa2/d0$^Ixp"|dc`;s/\W//g;$_=pack('H*',/((..)*)$/)
> #what's this? see http://www.dcs.ex.ac.uk/~aba/rsa/

-- 
   _ 
 _( )_
(     (o___           +-------------------------------------------+
 |      _ 7           |            Alexander Yukhimets            |
  \    (")            |       http://pages.nyu.edu/~aqy6633/      |
  /     \ \           +-------------------------------------------+


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