Help on policy
Title: Help on policy I'm at present playing with a couple of Sinclair Spectrum emulator and would like to debianize them both. But here's the problem. Like all computer emulator, they need the original Spectrum roms. They can be freely distributed with emulator, but Amstrad still owns the copyright, so I can't consider them "free" according to the policy. What should I do regarding to the section? The packages are both GPL'd and they could be considered main-able, but strongly depends from the non-free roms. What would be best? 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a non-free one with the roms only Please note that it's a really weird situation: the programs can be built without the roms, but they can't run without them! Thanks in advance for any (welcome!) suggestion. Cesare.
Help on policy
Title: Help on policy I'm at present playing with a couple of Sinclair Spectrum emulator and would like to debianize them both. But here's the problem. Like all computer emulator, they need the original Spectrum roms. They can be freely distributed with emulator, but Amstrad still owns the copyright, so I can't consider them "free" according to the policy. What should I do regarding to the section? The packages are both GPL'd and they could be considered main-able, but strongly depends from the non-free roms. What would be best? 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a non-free one with the roms only Please note that it's a really weird situation: the programs can be built without the roms, but they can't run without them! Thanks in advance for any (welcome!) suggestion. Cesare.
Re: Help on policy
Hi, Falco Cesare writes: > What would be best? > 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms > 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a > non-free one with the roms only > Please note that it's a really weird situation: the programs can be > built without the roms, but they can't run without them! I wouldn't consider this weird but common to many emulators. I had a similar issue with the Mac-on-Linux emulator mol. At present, it depends strongly on Mac OS ROM files and since those are not even distributable, the package (without the ROM files) went into contrib. This will change when it becomes possible to also start the emulator from boot loaders for free OSes. In your case, I would put everything into one non-free package. If the roms become free, you can still change into main. If alternative roms become available, you can split the package. Regards, Jens. -- J'qbpbe, le m'en fquz pe j'qbpbe! Le veux aimeb et mqubib panz je pézqbpbe je djuz tqtaj! -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Help on policy
> > What would be best? > 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms > 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a non-free > one with the roms only > > Please note that it's a really weird situation: the programs can be built > without the roms, but they can't run without them! > either option makes sense. How does the upstream handle this? Is everything in one tarball? If so, keep it that way. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Help on policy
On Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 09:28:47AM +0100, Falco Cesare wrote: > > What would be best? > 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms > 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a non-free > one with the roms only i'd go the latter route. if there are any DFSG free ROM's, then the DFSG free ROMS and the emulator can be main. now, to speak of your copyright issue, for example, linus owns the copyright to the linux kernel. the free software foundation owns the copyright to the GNU utilities. if the copyright ownership is the only thing that prevents the ROM's from being DFSG free, then consider that a moot point. not having read the license of the ROM's in question, i cannot tell you if that is the case or not. if you have questions, ask debian-legal, if you have not already. -john -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Help on policy
Falco Cesare <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Like all computer emulator, they need the original Spectrum roms. They can > be freely distributed with emulator, but Amstrad still owns the copyright, > so I can't consider them "free" according to the policy. What is the exact license of the ROMs? Are they dejure distributable or only defacto (i.e. too old that anybody bothers to sue, like the C64 kernel)? -- Robbe signature.ng Description: PGP signature
Re: Help on policy
Hi, Falco Cesare writes: > What would be best? > 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms > 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a > non-free one with the roms only > Please note that it's a really weird situation: the programs can be > built without the roms, but they can't run without them! I wouldn't consider this weird but common to many emulators. I had a similar issue with the Mac-on-Linux emulator mol. At present, it depends strongly on Mac OS ROM files and since those are not even distributable, the package (without the ROM files) went into contrib. This will change when it becomes possible to also start the emulator from boot loaders for free OSes. In your case, I would put everything into one non-free package. If the roms become free, you can still change into main. If alternative roms become available, you can split the package. Regards, Jens. -- J'qbpbe, le m'en fquz pe j'qbpbe! Le veux aimeb et mqubib panz je pézqbpbe je djuz tqtaj!
Re: Help on policy
> > What would be best? > 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms > 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a non-free > one with the roms only > > Please note that it's a really weird situation: the programs can be built > without the roms, but they can't run without them! > either option makes sense. How does the upstream handle this? Is everything in one tarball? If so, keep it that way.
Re: Help on policy
On Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 09:28:47AM +0100, Falco Cesare wrote: > > What would be best? > 1. A non-free debian package including both sources and needed roms > 2. Two debian packages: a contrib one including the source and a non-free > one with the roms only i'd go the latter route. if there are any DFSG free ROM's, then the DFSG free ROMS and the emulator can be main. now, to speak of your copyright issue, for example, linus owns the copyright to the linux kernel. the free software foundation owns the copyright to the GNU utilities. if the copyright ownership is the only thing that prevents the ROM's from being DFSG free, then consider that a moot point. not having read the license of the ROM's in question, i cannot tell you if that is the case or not. if you have questions, ask debian-legal, if you have not already. -john
Re: Help on policy
Falco Cesare <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Like all computer emulator, they need the original Spectrum roms. They can > be freely distributed with emulator, but Amstrad still owns the copyright, > so I can't consider them "free" according to the policy. What is the exact license of the ROMs? Are they dejure distributable or only defacto (i.e. too old that anybody bothers to sue, like the C64 kernel)? -- Robbe signature.ng Description: PGP signature
