hello, couldn't this be a solution for the big problem open/closed-source:
the system should be basically only be open-source. if there is a hardware, that can only be run with closed-source-drivers, the user should be informed. afterwards there should be a possibility to choose what should be done (ignore hardware/install open-source-software/install closed-source-software), and if the user chooses closed-source-software then he/she should accept an accordingly(license-)info (after the information the user should know, what's going on and that there could be some future problems like licensing-fees or similar). if the user accepts the license there should be an easy install/download-possibility of those closed-source-software, so that the user feels, he/she has a fine system. :-) so the system (debian) is out of problems generally (imo), the user knows what could be problematic, the choice of closed-source-software is his/her responsibility, debian cannot be blamed, but the user can have a system that runs even flash, ati...-specialities... if he/she likes. the worst way, imo, is, to mix up open and closed-source. the best way is, imo, to clearly seperate everything and to let the end-user choose, what he/she would like to have on his/her own responsibility. ********* now as i'm here, i have - for a long time now - another debian-wish (it's generally linux, but i feel debian is the leading distro): "linux" tries to find everything by itself (hardware-recognition, driver install...). the user is not noticed until the install is ready. and then this poor one (and here i think of those not so experinced - like me :-( ) is often left alone with finding a (mostly difficult) way, to get special things to run (i remember the days, when my cd-recorder was only recognized as cd-player and i didn't find a way to alter this...). i would love an installation-process (and a hardware-recognition after installing) where i - the user - was informed about many (every?) thing. maybe there could be a list of all hardware that was detected, what categories this hardware is belonging to and what software is and could be installed to get it running. in this list, i - the user - should have the possibility to change things: maybe i have a dvd-ram-recorder and the system "found only a dvd-recorder" or similar. then i should be able to tell the system the better/the right categorie, so that the right software could be installed. this should be done in a similar way with adding users (what are the groups for,...) and with installing firewalls. and for each "category" there should be a list of possible software-packages, and i - the user - could take the ones, which fits best. maybe the installatin process would last a little bit longer, but the system would then be clear and transparent for everybody! everyone would know, what's running and why on his/her computer. this would be (will be??) a relieve in my life and i think for debian (linux) too. is this only a (my) dream? greetings hans horwath salzburg p.s.: i don't know, if i'm here right with my lines, but it seemed the best way to me. if not, please tell me where i should mail to go instead.