Re: [gentoo-dev] Free Gentoo

[Ciaran McCreesh]

On Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:01:26 +0300
"." <ivdwut@×××××.com> wrote:
> Is there a chance that Gentoo may become a free distro?
>
> I'm so unhappy with the fact that there are some non-free packages in
> the main tree.
> The main goal of the GNU project was to replace the proprietary Unix
> system. You are actually ruining this goal.

Why yes! Gentoo has been working closely with the FSF to add support
for "Digital Freedom Management" hardware. Soon you will be able to buy
a processor with special firmware ensuring that only FSF-licenced code
will be permitted to execute, and that only free data can be loaded;
Gentoo has signed up to this program, and has plans to ship a
DFM-enabled release as soon as some minor kinks are worked out:

* it turns out that some of Gentoo's core components are distributed
  under licences which don't forbid users from owning software patents
  -- we're working on rewrites that allow us to enforce this freedom.

* we're not sure whether the Linux kernel meets the FSF's strict
  freedom requirements. Unfortunately, we have a few minor hardware
  incompatibilities with Hurd that we've not yet worked out.

The Gentoo Foundation is also using some of its funds to lobby the USA
and the EU for mandatory DFM support in all new hardware, thus ensuring
that freedom hating terrorists can't choose not to have freedom enforced
upon them.

> I'm also dissatisfied with the name of the distro. Linux is the kernel
> not the whole system.

Good news on that front too. Gentoo Linux will be renamed to
GNU/FDO/IBM/Oracle/Mozilla/KDE/Gnome/Linux as soon as we make sure we
haven't left anyone out.

-- 
Ciaran McCreesh