Matthew Garrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >>> If you can't relate these tests to the guidelines, they are effectively >>> guidelines themselves. If they're guidelines, then they should be in the >>> DFSG. There's a defined process for changing the DFSG - you propose a GR >>> and you convince the developers to vote for it. Effectively extending >>> the DFSG without developer agreement is not acceptable behaviour. >> >>The DFSG would need amendment to *allow* some sorts of software -- to >>declare things free which would otherwise be obviously non-free. They >>don't need to change in order to forbid something already clearly >>non-free. > > How does that follow from the social contract? "We provide the > guidelines we use to determine if a work is "free" in the document > entitled 'The Debian Free Software Guidelines'" quite clearly states > that the DFSG is what is used to determine whether something is > free.
And also that they're guidelines. They aren't an exhaustive set of rules. > So far there have been two main forms of argument against the QPL - ones > which aren't founded on the DFSG, and ones which would render the GPL > non-free as well. I find these unconvincing. Find some arguments that > don't fall into these catagories (and you're going to have to do more > than just handwave madly to convince me about the "fee" one) and I'll > listen. Until then, I don't think it's really worth discussing things > much further. I think you're in a distinct minority. If you believe you're correct, *you* need to do some convincing. I haven't heard any arguments from you for why these restrictions -- choice of venue, forced contact with the author, and asymmetry between the initial author and later authors -- are Free. I'd be particularly interested to hear your comments on the asymmetry issue, which is most closely tied to a DFSG point: I can't distribute modifications under the same license through which I received the software. The author used a license which gets him a license to use my modifications in a proprietary way, but I don't get such a license for *his* changes. -Brian -- Brian Sniffen [EMAIL PROTECTED]
