[Pkg-fonts-devel] Bug#851339: Bug#851339: Bug#851339: Bug#851339: Bug#851339: Bug#851339: fonts-firacode: package in Debian with non-Debian build dependencies

[Fabian Greffrath]

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Oh, I just remembered I once had a short conversation with RMS about
the distribution of the ghostscript fonts in binary Type1 format albeit
being licensed under the terms of the GPL:


Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:02:32 -0500
From: Richard Stallman <rms at gnu.org>
To: Fabian Greffrath <fabian at greffrath.com>
Subject: Re: [ghostscript] opentypefont

    These fonts, however, are supplied in a binary, though editable, format
    called PFB. In our opinion this file format corresponds to object code
    and is clearly not "the preferred form of the work for making
    modifications to it."

Karl Berry is the GNU expert on fonts.  He thinks that a Type 1 font
is suitable source code.

Could you tell me how you consider it falls short?

     We sure could do the transformations
    from the binary font files, but it just felt "wrong". ;)

Would the files made by this transformation be different from the
source files that the developers might release?


Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:18:57 -0500
From: Richard Stallman <rms at gnu.org>
To: Fabian Greffrath <fabian at greffrath.com>
Subject: Re: [ghostscript] opentypefont

    They are binary files, so you cannot create diffs between two 
    versions. That is, the advantage of the openness of the source is void.

I see your point.  That is an aid for maintenance.

At the same time, the Type 1 font contains all the information
and can be converted automatically to the textual format.
So it is a valid source format.

Thus, I think these packages are valid and free as they are.
However, distributing the ASCII source would be an improvement.
So why not add that to your packages?
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