so, what exactly is in non-free?
some people expressed doubt about the claims i made regarding the actual
contents of non-free. i said that very few packages were proprietary, that
almost all were 'almost-free' (aka 'semi-free').
since no-one else has bothered to answer this question, i did it myself. a
classification of every non-free package that was in my debian mirror. a total
of 273 packages, but only 259 packages had a 'copyright' file (odd, i thought
there were more...about 350 or so. we must have got rid of a lot of non-free
packages).
the facts conclusively support my claims. out of all the packages in non-free,
only 9 are binary-only/proprietary. the rest are almost-free (actually, there
are a handful of mis-classified packages which seem to qualify as DFSG-free)
btw, note that 273 non-free packages is miniscule compared to the ~13,000
packages in main. only 2% of the total package pool. it's amazing what a huge
fuss is being made over such a tiny number of packages.
if you want to check the licenses yourself, email me and i can send you a 300KB
file containing just the copyright files. it's too big to attach to a mailing
list.
otherwise, make your own with this script (this will thrash the disks and take
ages to run):
--- extract.sh ---
#! /bin/bash
mkdir -p /tmp/debian/non-free
cd /tmp/debian/non-free
mkdir -p packages
for F in $( find /debian/pool/non-free/ -name "*.deb") ; do
B=$(basename $F | sed -e 's/_.*//')
echo "$B"
mkdir packages/$B
dpkg-deb -x $F packages/$B
done
mkdir -p LICENSES
for C in $(find packages/ -name 'copyright'); do
B=$(echo $C | sed -e 's/packages\///' -e 's/\/.*//')
echo "$B"
/bin/cp -a $C LICENSES/$B.copyright
done
--- extract.sh ---
i've made comments for each package, summarising how it deviates from the DFSG.
as i claimed in a previous message, the majority are because of no
sale/profit/commercial-distribution clauses. the second most common are "no
distribution of modified versions" clauses.
i DID NOT exhaustively analyse each license. i looked quickly at each one to
try to find out why it had been classified as non-free. in some cases, that
means i may not have noted down all the reasons why a particular package is
non-free.
there may or may not be mistakes in the lists. while there are no errors that
i know of, i'm tired and it is possible that i may have made a few mistakes.
feel free to correct them.
i have separated the non-free packages into four main groups:
1. "BINARY ONLY" -- binary only, proprietary stuff. 9 packages total (or 6
depending
on whether you count groups of packages individually or not).
2. "X3270" -- by my reading of the x3270 license, there's no reason why it
can't go in main. the maintainer is being, IMO, overly cautious. 7 packages
total.
3. "POSSIBLE MISTAKES" -- other stuff that may belong in main or contrib. 9
packages total (or 7 depending on how you count them).
4. "ALMOST FREE" -- everything else. 234 packages.
i probably should have separated out the "no sale/profit/commercial use" ONLY
packages into a separate group.....but i've been working on this for hours and
i want it over and done with. i'll leave that as an exercise for the reader.
anyway, here are the lists.
BINARY ONLY
-----------
eagle binary only shareware. free for non-profit use only - "If you
earn money by using the Freeware version of EAGLE Light,
you have to register it."
nvidia-glx binary-only. no modification, no reverse engineering.
nvidia-glx-dev binary-only. no modification, no reverse engineering.
nvidia-kernel-source binary-only. no modification, no reverse engineering.
rar shareware. 40 days free use. binary-only.
unicorn GPL, but with two binary-only object modules.
unicorn-source GPL, but with two binary-only object modules.
upx-nrv contains some binary-only, no source available code.
xtrkcad binary-only. no separation of files. may not distribute
xtrkcad.key file.
X3270
-----
x3270 seems to be free. IMO, maintainer is overly cautious about
license.
3270-common same as x3270.
c3270 same as x3270.
pr3287 same as x3270.
s3270 same as x3270.
tcl3270 same as x3270.
x3270-htmldoc same as x3270.
POSSIBLE MISTAKES
-----------------
edict seems like it may be free. long & complicated license. strange
requirement to make every effort to only distribute
latest version. explicitly mentions personal use but
does not prohibit non-personal use, in fact doesn't
prohibit much at all. IMO, maintainer may be overly
cautious about license...although i've only spent a few
minutes looking at it.
edict-fpw part GPL, part same as edict.
mmix-src part GPL. part Donald Knuth license - modified files must be
renamed and clearly identified. why is this in non-free?
mocka BSD-style license with noxious advertising clause. why is this
in non-free?
molphy very simple license says it is "free software". fails to have
an explicit clause allowing modification. clarification
would be good, but IMO there is no compelling reason why
this can't go in main.
mwavem says license is GPL. why is this in non-free? does it contain
binary-only driver or something??
sgb modified files must be renamed and clearly identified. why is
this in
non-free?
sl-modem-daemon looks like BSD-style license with noxious advertising clause.
why is this in non-free?
sl-modem-source looks like BSD-style license with noxious advertising clause.
why is this in non-free?
ALMOST FREE
-----------
abc2mtex may not be sold. no explicit permission to modify.
abs-guide Open Publication License, plus restrictions on mofifications,
restriction on print distribution.
abuse-sfx license allows use only, no modification or use in derived
works.
agrep no distribution for profit without express written permission.
album may not be sold.
amiwm non-commercial distribution. strange terms for distribution of
binaries.
amoeba-data free use & distribution, but no modification or re-use of data.
angband educational, research and not-for-profit distribution only.
arabtex only scientific, experimental and other strictly personal,
non-commercial use if credit is given to author.
astrolog no sale or profit.
axe no commercial exploitation
bass notification of author is required if used in a commercial
product or service, otherwise BSD-style license.
bsdgames-nonfree BSD with 3 extra clauses. first two require appropriate
credit. third says no trade, sale, personal gain or profit.
bulkmail GPL, except "this program may not be used to send unsolicited
commercial messages."
chntpw noncommercial distribution only.
ckermit no distribition by any commercial enterprise to its actual or
potential customers, with explicit exception for free/open source operating
systems.
cl-faq no modification, no sale or commercial distribution. print or
CD distribution requires copy sent to author.
cl-infix no fee or compensation may be charged for use, copying,
distribution or access.
clustalw-mpi commercial redistribution requires a separate non-exclusive
license.
clustalw commercial redistribution requires a separate non-exclusive
license.
clustalx commercial redistribution requires a separate non-exclusive
license.
cmap-adobe-cns1 no modification allowed
cmap-adobe-gb1 no modification allowed
cmap-adobe-japan1 no modification allowed
cmap-adobe-japan2 no modification allowed
cmap-adobe-korea1 no modification allowed
conserver-client seems to be free, license seems to be BSD-like with
strongly emphasised credit clauses.
conserver-server seems to be free, license seems to be BSD-like with
strongly emphasised credit clauses.
crafty no commercial distribution. personal use only, restrictions on
using the software in chess tournaments. any changes MUST be made public.
csound-doc confusing license...looks like it boils down to no commercial
distribution or derivation.
cthugha no use in commercial programs. fractint-derived parts are
shareware (postcard for personal use, $50 for commercial)
dgen some parts of it do not allow commercial distribution,
otherwise BSD-like license.
diablo-common any commercial product based on it *MUST* have linux and
FreeBSD versions available for substantially the same price. Linux and FreeBSD
versions MUST be kept up-to-date with versions for other platforms.
distributed-net-pproxy non-existant license? permission has been granted for
debian to distribute.
distributed-net non-existant license? permission has been granted for debian
to distribute.
doc-html-w3 must include a link to the original W3C document. no right to
modify or create derivative works.
doc-linux-nonfree-html various licenses, mostly failing to give explicit
permission to modify, or explicitly prohibiting modification. i didn't read
them all.
doc-linux-nonfree-text various licenses, mostly failing to give explicit
permission to modify, or explicitly prohibiting modification. i didn't read
them all.
doc-rfc-0001-0999 no modification allowed
doc-rfc-1000-1999 no modification allowed
doc-rfc-2000-2999 no modification allowed
doc-rfc-3000-3999 no modification allowed
doc-rfc-experimental no modification allowed
doc-rfc-fyi-bcp no modification allowed
doc-rfc-misc no modification allowed
doc-rfc-old-std no modification allowed
doc-rfc-std-proposed no modification allowed
doc-rfc-std no modification allowed
doc-rfc no modification allowed
doom-wad-shareware license allows use only, no modification or use in
derived works.
dqs "NON-RESALE PURPOSES" only
dvipdfm-cjk-cmap license is GPL....what is it doing in non-free?
ebook-dev-kde20 Open Publication License.
eemu-client no charge beyond cost-recovery allowed for distribution.
eemu-server no charge beyond cost-recovery allowed for distribution.
ezmlm-src djb license. no binary distribution.
festlex-oald "may not be used for commercial purposes without specific prior
written permission from the authors."
festvox-ellpc11k "may not be used for commercial purposes without
specific prior written permission from the authors."
figfonts-cjk various licenses, contact the individual authors for details.
figfonts various licenses, contact the individual authors for details.
foiltex not to be sold for profit or commercially exploited
fractxtra a collection of miscellaneous stuff by various authors. no
clear license, probably shouldn't even be in non-free.
gettyps no monetary profit from the use or reproduction of this
software. may not be not sold, rented, traded or otherwise marketed.
gfont license is GPL. is this in non-free because it "Create GIFs
rendered with TeX-available Fonts"?
ggobi partly GPL/LGPL. other parts strange AT&T open-source license:
no compensation for distribution is the most obvious non-free clause.
giflib3g license seems DFSG-free. LZW patent issues.
gimp1.3-nonfree license seems DFSG-free. LZW patent issues.
gliese no redistribution of modified data files.
graphviz strange AT&T license. most obvious problem is that it requires
grant of rights to AT&T for any changes.
grokking-the-gimp Open Publication License. no print distribution, no
distribution of 'substantively modified' versions.
gs-aladdin Aladdin Public License. restricts sale.
gs-cjk-resource no modification allowed.
gsfonts-other contains shareware "Kana" fonts by Kevin Hartig, plus some
"freeware" fonts by Thomas Wolff which may not be sold. all other fonts in the
package appear to be free.
gsn-curses no profit, no modification.
gsn-jigsaw no profit, no modification.
gumshoe no modification of data file.
hevea-doc Free Document Dissemination Licence, "FDDL version 1":
restrictions on the kind of modifications allowed.
hwb "May be copied and redistributed, partially or in whole, as
appropriate." no explicit right to modify.
hypre-doc "Commercialization of this product is prohibited without
notifying the Department of Energy (DOE) or Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (LLNL)."
inform no profit, no distribution of substantially different versions.
iozone3 "The author retains the exclusive right to publish derivative
works based on this work, including, but not limited to, revised versions of
this work"
irpas free for non-commercial use and in free software projects.
jpeg2ps not to be sold or bundled with commercial software
latex2html part GPL. other parts may not have fees charged for use,
distribution, etc.
ldmud "the source code may not be used in any way whatsoever for
monetary gain."
lgrind ambiguous request/demand that derivates only be distributed
after consulting the author.
lha "Binary only distribution is not allowed". restrictions on
"commercial" or "for-fee" (license translator is undecided) usage.
libapache-mod-fastcgi may only be used for "implementing the FastCGI
specification", i.e. restrictions on what derived works are allowed to do/be.
libforms-doc license does not appear to allow distribution at all.
debian/copyright file is inadequate.
libgpcl-dev "You may not use this software, in whole or in part, in support
of any commercial product without the express consent of the author."
libgpcl0 "You may not use this software, in whole or in part, in support
of any commercial product without the express consent of the author."
libhypre-dev "Commercialization of this product is prohibited without
notifying the Department of Energy (DOE) or Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (LLNL)."
libhypre1.6.0 "Commercialization of this product is prohibited without
notifying the Department of Energy (DOE) or Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (LLNL)."
libmail-bulkmail-perl "The Mail::Bulkmail::Object component may only be
distributed in conjunction with Mail::Bulkmail"
libmotif-dev "This software is subject to an open license. It may only be
used on, with or for operating systems which are themselves open source
systems."
libmotif3 "This software is subject to an open license. It may only be
used on, with or for operating systems which are themselves open source
systems."
libparmetis-dev "It can be freely used for educational and research purposes by
non-profit institutions and US government agencies only". may not be sold or
redistributed.
libparmetis3.0 "It can be freely used for educational and research purposes by
non-profit institutions and US government agencies only". may not be sold or
redistributed.
libsrgpg1-dev no incorporation into a commercial product.
libsrgpg1 incorporation into a commercial product.
lmbench-doc GPL, but with restrictions on how you are allowed to distribute
the output (no cheating, no profiting).
lmbench GPL, but with restrictions on how you are allowed to distribute
the output (no cheating, no profiting).
maelstrom software is GPL. artwork and sounds may not be distributed
separately from the software.
moria educational, research, and not-for-profit use only
motif-clients "This software is subject to an open license. It may only be
used on, with or for operating systems which are themselves open source
systems."
mpg123-esd no modification. for-profit use requires author to be
contacted first.
mpg123-nas no modification. for-profit use requires author to be
contacted first.
mpg123-oss-3dnow no modification. for-profit use requires author to be
contacted first.
mpg123-oss-i486 no modification. for-profit use requires author to be
contacted first.
mpg123 no modification. for-profit use requires author to be contacted first.
mpi-specs seems free, except that there is no explicit grant of right to
modify & redistribute.
mrouted derivative works must be licensed royalty-free to STANFORD.
STANFORD must be supplied with a copy of any derived works that are distributed
to a third party.
mush no distribution of modified versions. "Distribution of sources
containing adaptations of the SunView interface to XView or to any X11-based
interface is expressly prohibited."
mysql-doc no modification of the content, no printing except for personal
use.
ncompress software appears to be free. LZW patent issues.
netpbm-nonfree various....one "no commercial use, no sale", one "LZW patent
issue", several with no known license.
netperf non-commercial purposes only.
newsgate various & unclear. internet-developed software from the dawn
ages before we realised explicit licenses were needed.
nntpcache-dev-doc registration and fees required for commercial &
government use.
nntpcache registration and fees required for commercial & government use.
nttcp using/copying/modifying/distributing for any purpose except "making
money" is allowed.
ocaml-book-en no modification of the official content. restrictions on
commercial products (must be DFSG).
ocaml-book-fr no modification of the official content. restrictions on
commercial products (must be DFSG).
ocaml-doc translation or derivative works must be approved by authors.
onlisp-code license unclear/non-existant. permission granted to debian to
distribute.
onlisp-pdf license unclear/non-existant. permission granted to debian to
distribute.
onlisp-ps license unclear/non-existant. permission granted to debian to
distribute.
opustex changes not allowed. separation of file(s) not allowed.
os8 free for non-commercial purposes only.
parmetis-doc "It can be freely used for educational and research purposes by
non-profit institutions and US government agencies only". may not be sold or
redistributed.
parmetis-test "It can be freely used for educational and research purposes by
non-profit institutions and US government agencies only". may not be sold or
redistributed.
pcx commercial re-use requires commercial license and fee. CD-ROM and
other vendors must notify Argonne National Laboratory.
pdp11-unix-v5 strange caldera license. presumably non-free, but i don't have
time to figure out why/how.
pdp11-unix-v6 strange caldera license. presumably non-free, but i don't have
time to figure out why/how.
pdp11-unix-v7 strange caldera license. presumably non-free, but i don't have
time to figure out why/how.
pgplot5 "education, academic research and non-commercial purposes" only.
php4-dbase DBF portions have non-commercial use only clause, and
prohibition of charging for distribution.
phylip "Not to be sold so you cannot put it on a commercial CDROM".
picon-domains permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
picon-misc permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
picon-news permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
picon-unknown permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
picon-usenix permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
picon-users permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
picon-weather permission required for payment-based use or distribution.
pine-docs non-commercial purposes
pine-tracker public domain. maybe it should be in contrib rather than
non-free?
povray-doc severe restrictions on commercial/non-free distribution.
povray-misc severe restrictions on commercial/non-free distribution.
povray severe restrictions on commercial/non-free distribution.
prime-net strange rules about EFF prize money.
ptex-jtex may not be used for profit-making. no commercial distribution.
qmail-src djb license. no distribution of modified versions. no binary
distribution.
rancid-cgi non-commerical purposes.
rancid-core non-commerical purposes.
rancid-installer non-commerical purposes.
rancid-util non-commerical purposes.
revtex not allowed to take money for distribution or use except for a
nominal charge for copying, etc.
rpl no modification, no sale for profit.
rtlinux patent issues.
rutebook hardcopy only for personal use. no modification of content.
satan no fee (other than "at-cost") can be charged for distribution.
sattrack-x11 educational, research and non-profit purposes. no bundling
with any product.
sattrack educational, research and non-profit purposes. no bundling
with any product.
scilab confusing, self-contradictory license. seems free, but some
contradictory clauses mention "non-commercial".
scsh some included files have various non-free clauses, mostly to do
with returning improvements to the authors.
selfhtml no modification, restrictions on distribution and
"republishing" (e.g. may not be published with nazi content or with child
pornography or with religious fundamentalist content). permission granted to
debian to distribute.
serialmail-src djb license. no binary distribution.
shapetools-tutorial contradictory stuff about charging for copies. the
tutorial may not be modified.
snes9x-common non-commercial personal use only.
snes9x-fx non-commercial personal use only.
snes9x-opengl non-commercial personal use only.
snes9x-svga non-commercial personal use only.
snes9x-x non-commercial personal use only.
so-far free distribution only.
spectrum-roms no fee for distribution.
spellcast-doc derivative works may not be sold for profit without author's
permission.
spellcast derivative works may not be sold for profit without author's
permission.
spim personal use only. no sale/distribution in conjunction with a
commercial product.
t1-xfree86-nonfree various fonts, various licenses...mostly no
modifications.
tads-dev no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tads2-dev no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tads2 no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tads3-dev no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tads3-doc no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tads3 no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tadsr no fee for copying, limited right to modify (porting only).
tatctae no modification.
tome educational, research, and not for profit purposes
tracker no clear license. author requests but does not demand money or
software.
treetool no clear license. debian granted permission to distribute.
trn no monetary profit. it may not be sold, rented, traded or
otherwise marketed.
trn4 no monetary profit. it may not be sold, rented, traded or
otherwise marketed (software bundlers are exempt as long as they include
source).
ttf-kochi-gothic-naga10 redistribution seems to require notification of Wadalab
group.
ttf-kochi-mincho-naga10 redistribution seems to require notification of Wadalab
group.
ttf-larabie-deco restrictions on modifications.
ttf-larabie-straight restrictions on modifications.
ttf-larabie-uncommon restrictions on modifications.
ttf-xfree86-nonfree-syriac various fonts, various licenses...mostly no
modifications.
ttf-xfree86-nonfree various fonts, various licenses...mostly no
modifications.
tth non-commercial purposes
ucbmpeg-play non-commercial purposes. some patent issues on MPEG software.
ucbmpeg non-commercial purposes. some patent issues on MPEG software.
ucspi-tcp-src djb license. no binary distribution.
unrar may not be used to recreate proprietary RAR compression
algorithm.
uqm-content may only be copied as part of a distribution of The Ur-Quan
Masters
vrwave no distribution of derivative works. commercial use requires
license.
w3-recs-2002 must include a link to the original W3C document. no right to
modify or create derivative works.
w3-recs-200 must include a link to the original W3C document. no right to
modify or create derivative works.
w3-recs must include a link to the original W3C document. no right to
modify or create derivative works.
wap-wml-tools non-commercial activities only. not to be sold or used to
generate profit.
weather free distribution only.
wip "Distribution [...] requires formal notification to the WIP
contact"
wwwcount author must be notified if included in a book. no binary-only
distribution allowed (permission granted to debian and debian-derived gnu/linux
distributions)
xearth non-commercial and not-for-profit purposes. LZW patent issues.
xephem personal non-profit and non-commercial purposes only.
xfonts-naga10 non-commercial, no changes.
xfractint no re-use in commercial programs that produce fractal images.
The source code for a modified version of Fractint may not be distributed.
xgobi-doc may not be sold for profit.
xgobi may not be sold for profit.
xmame "If you sell it, you are a thief.". restrictions on how it may
be distributed. source may not be used in commercial products.
xpacman simple license "This software may be freely copied and used,
but no warranty is given". no explicit right to modify.
xpdf-chinese-simplified no modification allowed.
xpdf-chinese-traditional no modification allowed.
xpdf-japanese no modification allowed.
xpdf-korean no modification allowed.
xpostitplus no commercial use. no distribution of modified versions.
based on an earlier work by a different author which is licensed without these
restrictions. IMO, validity of license is questionable.
xshodo no commercial use, no profit.
xslideshow no commercial distribution by itself (but bundling on CD is OK).
xsnow no modification, except for porting.
xzx "THE CODE MAY NOT BE MODIFIED OR REUSED WITHOUT PERMISSION."
yale no modificaton.
zangband educational, research, and not for profit purposes
zoo derivative works must not violate the compatibility goals
described in the manual.
craig
