[Fsf-Debian] Silent here

[Stefano Zacchiroli]

On Fri, Nov 23, 2012 at 03:22:55PM +0100, Didier 'OdyX' Raboud wrote:
> > 1. Move the non-free and the contrib repository from the debian.org
> > domain to another domain name, under control of DD's.

Note the difference between the text above and below:

> I would argue that moving "contrib" and "non-free" out of Debian 
> infrastructure would need a Social Contract amendment, thereby a GR.

- one aspect is where the content is *hosted*
- another is how it is *advertised* (including no advertisement at all)
  to the users

I'm convinced that there is no harm done to user freedom in hosting
non-free content side by side (e.g. on the same software / hardware /
mirror network) with free content. Harm is done if no distinction
between the two types of content is clear and if, worse, no explanation
is given about the advantages of one type over the other.

So what I think it would work is leaving the content *physically* where
it is now, but don't advertise contrib/non-free as members of the same
debian.org namespace. It is not entirely trivial, but you can achieve
that for instance by documenting that access to contrib/non-free
material happens via a different domain (e.g. nonfree.org, or
nondebian.org which I've registered a while ago for this purpose) that
then redirects to the Debian infrastructure.

Such a scheme would require no change in the Debian Social Contract (at
least according to my own reading of it) and I'm positive we can reach
an agreement with the FSF on such a scheme.

But yes, given the FSF de facto act as a "certification authority" of
per-distro criteria, we do need specific guidance. And I'd love to have
it publicly, possibly on this list.

Cheers.
-- 
Stefano Zacchiroli  . . . . . . .  zack at upsilon.cc . . . . o . . . o . o
Maître de conférences . . . . . http://upsilon.cc/zack . . . o . . . o o
Debian Project Leader . . . . . . @zack on identi.ca . . o o o . . . o .
« the first rule of tautology club is the first rule of tautology club »
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