I will update Debian's GNU parallel as soon as I can (before this next weekend, if I can).
Thanks for all the discussion, Rogério. On Tue, Dec 4, 2018 at 1:12 PM Didier 'OdyX' Raboud <o...@debian.org> wrote: > > Control: clone -1 -2 > Control: retitle -2 parallel 20161222-1.1 NMU removes upstream "--will-cite" > functionality > Control: reopen -2 > Control: notfound -2 20161222 > Control: found -2 20161222-1.1 > Control: severity -2 important > > Dear Ole, > > Le lundi, 3 décembre 2018, 18.55:00 h CET Ole Tange a écrit : > > I have noticed that you have submitted a patch and closed this bug: > > https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=905674#77 > > > > I am sure you are trying to do what is best for free software. But > > what looks like a good idea in the short run, may be a bad idea in the > > long run. The long term survival of Debian depends on others building > > free software that can be packaged, so destroying these people's > > livelihood is a bad long term strategy. > > > > In the reasoning for the patch you state: > > > Quoting the gpl-faq: > > [... https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#RequireCitation ...] > > > > > Therefore, removing this to make parallel GPL-compliant. > > > > I think this is due to a misunderstanding. > > > > Maybe you not aware that Richard M. Stallman together with the GNU > > leaders have cleared the wording and the use of the citation notice, > > and that he sees it as complying fully with GPLv3? > > I was not, but, as Debian Developer, I don't feel bound by RMS' (and "GNU > leaders", whomever this designates) statements about GPLv3. What mattered for > this now-closed bugreport is our DFSG; specifically it's article 1 (emphasis > mine) and 5. > > > DFSG 1: Free Redistribution > > The license of a Debian component may not restrict any party from selling or > > giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software > > distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license > > *may not require a royalty or other fee* for such sale. > > > DFSG 5: No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups > > The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons. > > Le lundi, 3 décembre 2018, 18.55:00 h CET Ole Tange a écrit : > > Your patch therefore does not change the GPLv3-compliancy: The code > > was already compliant. > > I disagree; my understanding is that RMS&co declared parallel to carry no > problem with regards to GPLv3 compliance in October 2018, probably for the > latest upstream release. > > But Debian ships parallel 20161222 which: > * contains a request for the user to promise academic citation, > * imposes the use of either "--will-cite" or the presence of a > `~.parallel/will-cite`, which makes it unnecessarily burdensome to use > in a scripted manner. > > This is a clear attempt at side-stepping GPLv3 software freedoms by using > guilt-inducting language. As the GPLv3 allows (almost any) modification, I've > just went and did that, also to ensure that src:parallel can stay in the > Debian main archive, where it belongs. > > > But what your patch *does* do, is to make it harder to earn a living > > from developing GNU Parallel and will make it much harder for me to > > justify spending time maintaining GNU Parallel. > > Be careful with such arguments: by merely distributing GNU parallel in its > main archive, Debian is also vastly expanding the availability of GNU > parallel. And if you do insist on getting Debian to rename it, you'll > likely lose any incentive from "renamed GNU parallel" users getting it from > the Debian archive. > > > As Nadia Eghbal puts it in > > https://www.slideshare.net/NadiaEghbal/consider-the-maintainer: > > > > "Is it alright to compromise, or even deliberately ignore, the > > happiness of maintainers so we that can enjoy free and open source > > software?" > > > > This describes very well what you are doing with the patch, and I > > refuse to think that was your goal. > > For the record: > * My primary goal was to remove a "Release Critical" bug from Debian's next > stable release, during a Bug Squashing Party; > * While looking at this bug, it seemed obvious to me that merely removing the > obnoxious phrasing and functionality was an easy way to fix this bug; in a > GPLv3- and DFSG-compatible way. > * I am not the Debian maintainer of src:parallel, so my contribution was one- > -off. > * I did a Non-Maintainer Upload immediately, following DevRef 5.11.1: > > https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch05.en.html#nmu-guidelines > * I do think that making fine free software unnecessarily cumbersome to use, > only to increase user's knowledge of the original author's funding > initiatives is bad practice. This reduces the quality of software and > is really on the line of what makes software really "free software" > (I'm fine to disagree with RMS on that front). Weaker phrasing doesn't > make the intent any better. > * Prominent links or funding pitches are fine in _documentation_, as long as > they: > - don't imply that payment is mandatory; > - don't impose citation; > For instance, parallel 20161222 manpage's > > If you pay 10000 EUR you should feel free to use GNU Parallel without > citing. > … is not acceptable IMHO. > * I am not a Debian FTP-master, in charge of specific interpretations of > the DFSG. > > > So if you want to help other developers make a living and thereby get > > more free software made, I encourage you to revert the patch and > > instead upgrade to 20180922: Maybe you simply were not aware that the > > latest stable version (20180922) is *already* GPLv3 compliant. > > I am not the Debian maintainer of src:parallel, and updating upstream > versions is not acceptable as NMU; I did the smallest change that seemed > acceptable to resolve the RC bug. > > Be assured that my patch was not directed at you personally; I removed > _technical functionality_ that I felt was the reported bug. > > But… I can see how this new situation is not ideal for you; I'm therefore > hereby cloning this bug to document that my NMU removes the "--will-cite" > functionality from upstream parallel. What should/could happen now is that: > > * interested parties (you, FTP-master, …) discuss on that bug; > * the Debian maintainers, when (and if) updating src:parallel to a new > upstream release, will decide to adopt, update or remove my patch. > > > Thanks for your work on free software. It is appreciated. > > Yours is appreciated too. > > Cheers, > OdyX -- Rogério Brito : rbrito@{ime.usp.br,gmail.com} : GPG key 4096R/BCFCAAAA http://cynic.cc/blog/ : github.com/rbrito : profiles.google.com/rbrito DebianQA: http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=rbrito%40ime.usp.br
