On 06/03/2015 11:37 AM, Laurent Bercot wrote:
>
> about licensing purity.
>

and:

> But whatever you do, don't paternalize the users. There's nothing more
> infuriating than an infantilizing message in the way of what you want to
> do.
>

and:

> Your users chose Devuan: they already have made a good choice.

and:

> do not disrespect them by force-feeding them moralistic crap they don't
> care about and that will only antagonize them.
>
*** I must I was almost agreeing until "moralistic crap". This is your
opinion, and in my own, an unfounded one. What we're talking about here
is about technology, not moralistic anything.

The technology we're building is one that empowers the user, and it is
arguable whether considering the imposition of freedom-restricting
technology empowers the use or not. The case is hardware that the user
buys and that refuses to work without secret code from the company.
Would you buy a car if the seller would tell you that you will need to
use their own specific fuel and tires, and only drive highways? Of
course not, because you buy a mean of transport, not an universal ticket
for free transportation.

If Devuan is to replace Debian in its role of a foundation for free
software distribution, then it needs to be closer to Debian, not to
Ubuntu. And since we have the opportunity to discuss the matter, I'm
for a "core" distribution of free software, that enables anyone to build
upon that core, including softening its edges and allow it to enable
self-rendition to proprietary software.

This core distribution should fly high the colors of software freedom,
because nobody else will do. And a fundamental software freedom is you
can use it for any purpose, including making yourself a slave of
corporations. But that should be a choice, and one that the
distribution does not encourage by default.

Now, the base installer is such a vector of individuation, as Debian 8
demonstrated by using it to install systemd. Systemd is free software,
but we don't like it to be installed by default. Now we would frown at
it and happily include non-free software in our base installer? I
really don't see the point. Again, that people buy hardware requiring
non-free software to run is a problem, but that problem does not need to
be ignored and dismissed, it needs to be confronted and fixed.

==
hk

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