* MJ Ray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [030524 13:08]: > Maybe, but giving a supported distribution system for it removes some > of the desire, doesn't it?
I think a distribution system with an emphasis on free software, also helping with non-free bits one can not get rid from is something useful to many people. Wihtout non-free parts, people needing them will have two possibilities: They might use another system, which might force them to even use non-free parts for installation or configuration. (They might not like it, but not everyone can value long term goods as freedom over short term things like manpower needed). Or they might use some non-free parts from another source. As this source has no more emphasis on free software, it is less likely to drop things when a replacement arises and the non-free parts might recommend other non-free parts more than the free parts. (additonally such a source would need resources, our project would no longer have). > > [...] Do you really think even the thread of > > removing would be realistic? ) [...] > Yes. I think this is one of the most important difference. I just can not even imagine how much I had to narrow my mind to believe this. I daily struggel to get free software anywhere near me. If I just cannot close my eyes and pretend nothing non-free exists or is needed. If I did, this might even cause non-free operating systems to return to places I banished them from. > If non-free things are uploaded to main, surely that's a bug? It is. And anyone will see it this way, as long as there is non-free. > >> is fairly minimal (set up a BTS, apt repository - what else?). > > webpages, autobuilders, account managment, keyrings, .... > > Web? When did an apt source have a web page? Now, consider there was a nondebian.org. Wouldn't it need webpages to describe what it is, how to participate, what guidelines to follow. Websites searching the package description and looking at package dependencies? > Autobuilders? Are pbuilder et al so hard? There are no autobuilders for non-free stuff within Debian. Do you really want autobuilders for non-free created somewhere else? > Account management? wtf? > Keyrings? Can't we use the same one. As long as non-free is handled by Debian infrastructure, nothing has to be done for this. I hope the developer database will not be exported anywhere. (If it was, I and hopefully man others would insist in Debian having control over the place it is exported to. But then it would be just time-consuming change of nomenclature. Hochachtungsvoll, Bernhard R. Link -- Sendmail is like emacs: A nice operating system, but missing an editor and a MTA.
