[Fsf-Debian] Another approach...

[Paul van der Vlis]

Op 08-08-12 16:45, Mason Loring Bliss schreef:

> My proposition is as follows. The FSF and its membership shouldn't complain
> about the Contrib and Non-Free repositories. Instead, they should take them
> as a guidebook and put their efforts into obviating those repositories. The
> FSF should be reverse-engineering radio chipsets and writing free software to
> drive them. They should be improving Nouveau and Gnash until they're in fact
> usable. The FSF should be looking at all the firmware in non-free and
> replacing it with working, free software.
>
> The FSF is capable of significant engineering efforts. Emacs and GCC are
> two of the more popular examples, but the FSF can also point to HURD and
> Coreboot. The FSF provides the libc at the heart of most Lignux distri-
> butions. FSF hackers, please make more software. Focus on foundational
> elements - write firmware that will let people use their computers without
> relying on proprietary software. If the FSF doesn't have the resources to do
> this, find and make more hackers, and open dialogues with hardware
> manufacturers to get them to free their firmware and drivers.
> 
> I have no doubt at all that given good, free alternatives to the proprietary
> software in Contrib and Non-Free, Debian will shed them without looking back.
> 
> Let's actually solve the problem. I'd like for Contrib and Non-Free to have
> no compelling reason to exist.

I think we should do both. So moving contrib and non-free away from
Debian, and also work hard for alternatives for e.g. flashplugin and bios.

What you say is really good, but I miss the word "hardware". What we
need is hardware what you can really buy for a reasanable price, which
works for sure with free drivers and firmware. And not only specified
for some distro's, but generic like "Linux 3.2 and higher" and the same
for FreeBSD, Hurd, etc.

What we also have to do for this "guiding function", is removing parts
from contrib and non-free what are not really needed. E.g. games.
But we have to find a nice place for them first.

With regards,
Paul van der Vlis.


-- 
Paul van der Vlis Linux systeembeheer, Groningen
http://www.vandervlis.nl