Control: retitle -1 linuxbrew-wrapper should go to contrib: It is an installer
for linuxbrew
Control: found -1 20150804-1
On Wed, Jan 31, 2018 at 10:38:42AM -0500, John Scott wrote:
> Package: linuxbrew-wrapper
> Version: 20170516-2
> Severity: serious
> Justification: Policy 2.2.1
>
> Though the linuxbrew-wrapper package is free just as Linuxbrew is, Linuxbrew
> does not commit to only free software. Linuxbrew's OpenCV formula builds with
> -DOPENCV_ENABLE_NONFREE=ON, and FFmpeg builds with --enable-nonfree. Though a
> comment in ffmpeg.rb notes that the flag produces unredistributable binaries,
> no notice is given to the user.
>
> Users that commit to only using free software may install this package and
> believe that it is free because it is in main. Though the package is free,
> and Linuxbrew is free, the purpose of Linuxbrew and this wrapper package is
> to install software from outside of the Debian repository (some of which is
> non-free).
With that logic apt would also have to go to contrib.
> I believe that this violates Debian Policy that packages in main "must not
> require or recommend a package outside of main for compilation or execution."
The accepted interpretation of that section of policy is that a program
can be in main as long as there is some way to use it with free software.
Additional optional uses with non-free software are fine.
> Because this package is a wrapper that will "invoke upstream install script
> if found no linuxbrew instance" upon installation, I believe package is not
> suited for main and is probably better suited for contrib. The Debian Policy
> Manual says that packages that would be included in contrib include "wrapper
> packages or other sorts of free accessories for non-free programs." Linuxbrew
> is a wrapper for installing (with or without building from source) programs
> that, though many of them are free, some are not.
This is actually a reason why it should be in contrib:
The package is just an installer that downloads the actual program.
cu
Adrian
--
"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed
