Ola Lundqvist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> a tapoté : > Hi > > On Sun, Aug 31, 2003 at 01:13:17PM +0200, Tore Anderson wrote: > > > > I've noticed there's quite a few almost-empty packages lurking in > > the archive, whose sole purpose seems to be to download non-free > > software and install it on a users' systems. > > > > I don't like the fact that these seem to be (randomly) scattered > > over main and contrib. Although the installer packages themselves > > certainly are Free, I feel the social contract is being violated > > when I have main and contrib in my sources.list file, but after > > having completed the installation of a package from these sections, > > non-free software is installed on my system. > > > > Here's a quick list of suspected packages: > > > > vtkdata-installer optional > > Installs example reference data. It could probably stay there. > > > acl-installer contrib/devel > > acl-pro-installer contrib/devel > > atokx contrib/utils > > daemontools-installer contrib/misc > > djbdns-installer contrib/net > > f-prot-installer contrib/utils > > Contrib is a perfectly ok place for installers. > > > flashplugin-nonfree optional > > This is in contrib! > > > hyperspec optional > > Also in contrib! > > > ibm-jdk1.1-installer contrib/devel > > int-fiction-installer contrib/games > > lw-per-installer contrib/devel > > lw-pro-installer contrib/devel > > msttcorefonts contrib/graphics > > nvidia-kernel-src contrib/x11 > > nvidia-glx-src contrib/x11 > > qmailanalog-installer contrib/mail > > quake2-data contrib/games > > roxen-ssl contrib/web > > roxen2-ssl contrib/web > > sdic-edict contrib/text > > sdic-gene95 contrib/text > > setiathome contrib/misc > > Contrib is a ok place for installers. > > > realplayer net > > I can not find this in the archives. > > > I've not verified all of these being such installer packages for > > non-free software, nor do I claim it to be complete. Just to give > > you a rough idea. Also, they're of different nature -- some install > > the non-free software from their post-installation scripts, while > > others install a script in /usr/sbin/ which will do the installation > > of the non-free software when run. > > > > I'd like to submit bugs on these, asking them to move to non-free. > > So consider this email an invitation to discussion before a mass-bug > > filing. > > > > If the list agrees that bugs are warranted, which severity should I > > use? In my opinion it's a violation of the social contract and thus > > serious, but I've been recently told I should probably not use my > > own opinion as a justification for using the RC levels, so mayhaps > > wishlist would be better? > > I can not find any bugs in this list. So please do not fine anyone. > > The contrib section is precisely for free software that depends on > non-free (or software outside the archives) to be able to work as > expected.
There is a difference between "software that depends on non-free software to run" and "free installer of non-free software". A software in contrib that have only the purpose of installing a non-free software in is postinst script is, IMHO, maybe a good candidate for non-free: it's not really a dependancy but a package that include a non-free software -- even if the non-free software is kept separated, outside the package. A packaged installer is almost a subpackaging: we could include every software in non-free in contrib, if we make free packages that download from the net the non-free packages. So the distinction non-free/contrib would be useless... For instance, I make a package called satan-installer with a postinst script that execute the following command: http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/dists/potato/non-free/binary-i386/admin/satan_1.1.1-18.deb && dpkg -i satan_1.1.1-18.deb would you like to include that satan-installer script in contrib? It's almost how works flashplugin-nonfree. http://packages.debian.org/testing/web/flashplugin-nonfree.html So I do not agree that "Contrib is a ok place for installers". While basically these installer are free software, it's a little bit hypocritical to claim that these package contains free software. Finally, someone who install the contrib flashplugin-nonfree get on his computer a non-free software, possibly without even noticing it, because he never seen a dependancy against a package in non-free. -- Mathieu Roy Homepage: http://yeupou.coleumes.org Not a native english speaker: http://stock.coleumes.org/doc.php?i=/misc-files/flawed-english