[Top][All Lists]
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] Re: Debian vs gNewSense -- FS criteria
| From: | Richard Stallman |
| Subject: | Re: Debian vs gNewSense -- FS criteria |
| Date: | Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:14:23 -0400 |
MJ Ray wrote: > I think we already know RMS's opinions because they have been recorded > many times: > > - FDL-with-invariants and the badgeware are not software, so it > doesn't matter that they aren't free software and free software > distributions may contain non-software somehow; It is normal for software packages (free or non-free) to contain various kinds of text (including manuals) which are not software. Most of us do not find this shocking. > - gNewSense is allowed to have bugs but call itself Free still, while > debian is not; Everybody makes mistakes, and we don't expect anyone to be perfect. We just expect them to check and fix mistakes when reported. When a free distribution -- one that has a policy to reject non free software -- has accidentally included non-free software, we ask them to fix it, and presumably they do fix it, since it goes against their policy. What makes Debian unacceptable is that its inclusion of non-free software is not a mistake. It is an explicit policy decision. I wish it were a mistake, because then we could report it and they would fix it.
