Hi,
On Thu, Aug 13, 2026 at 12:40:07PM +0200, Gard Spreemann wrote:
Could you explain a bit what the backstory here is, for those of us who
haven't been around that long?
https://www.debian.org/vote/2004/vote_003
Back in 2004, we voted on something that was harmlessly titled
"Editorial amendments to the social contract" and sounded like it would
make very much sense, clarifying things without making big changes ot
the status quo.
The GR had just two options and was given the nod with a 174:39 result.
But it wasn't harmless at all. It extended the DFSG that applied to
software only before to everything that was part of Debian. Hours after
the result was published, people who value a non-running OS that is
absolutely free more than a pragmatic approach by keeping the software
running opened bottles of champaign and began efforts to get evil things
like RFC texts and non-free firmware that was already needed back then
to run unimportant pieces of hardware like mainstream Wifi interfaces
from Deban proper.
The resulting avalanche of suddenly RC-buggy packages delayed the
release of Debian sarge for about a year, caused huge friction inside
the project and brought us the non-free firmware discussion that
negatively influenced our software quality and ease of installation for
20 years before we finally started making sense again.
Ubuntu had its first release half a year after that GR and was able to
pull a significant number of our users away from us in the following
years, due to their running everywhere and us not releasing sarge.
Since then, I always read all of the fine print of every GR that is
proposed, examining it carefully for hidden bombs like that one. This
will also be the reason why I will vote most of the ballot options below
NOTA this time.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Greetings,
your grumpy old grey-haired man
P.S.: All hallucinations, sarcasm, cynism and frustration in this
message are all mine
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Haber | "I don't trust Computers. They | Mailadresse im Header
Leimen, Germany | lose things." Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 6224 1600402
Nordisch by Nature | How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 6224 1600421
