Re: [gentoo-dev] Some ideas on the licensing issue

[Richard Freeman]

On 01/07/2010 05:46 AM, Hanno Böck wrote:
>
> I think the GPL-compatible set makes barely sense.

++

>
> Difference between OSI and FSF approved: ... I think the definitions
> of FSF and OSI are pretty much the same, ... So I'd like it much more
> to have one big "This is free and open source software" set.

--

I think that we should make the license groups as objective as possible. 
  EVERYBODY can agree that such a license is or isn't OSI approved or 
FSF approved - whether they hate or love the FSF/etc.

By all means every gentoo dev is welcome to post on their blog "if you 
want free and open source software put this in your ACCEPT_LICENSE" - 
and everybody can post comments on the blog calling them the next saint 
of the Church of GNU, or the devil incarnate.  Let's just keep the 
portage tree to the facts.

Now groups that are fairly legally objective like 
"redistributable-without-modification" I think are useful.  They could 
be useful in doing QA checks on RESTRICT=mirror, for example.  However, 
let's try to stick with simple objective criteria that both people who 
hate a license and love it can agree on.

>
>
> What bites me is the man-pages issue. Is it really the case that
> there's no free (as in freedom) man-pages package? Maybe then we
> should provide an option to install the base system without
> man-pages?
>

I guess strictly-speaking man-pages aren't essential as part of system, 
but they'd seem like a big omission to leave out.  Unless we want a 
free-only profile (nobody seems to want to fully support this), I think 
that the better option is this:

Write up instructions on how to have a free gentoo install and put it on 
your blog or whatever.  If they've good enough maybe we can have the doc 
team make it official (gotta consider support issues here).

You can always stick the man-pages in package_provided or whatever so 
that portage doesn't try to install it.

You can also make your own profile, and post instructions for the world 
to see.  Again, break it and you get to keep the pieces and all that...