Re: [GNU-linux-libre] Re: any Free BSD variant?

[Karl Goetz]

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:35:33 +0300
Yavor Doganov <address@hidden> wrote:

> Rubén Rodríguez Pérez wrote:

> > You are clearly a developer:
> 
> I am sorry if I left that impression.  I am most definitely not a
> developer, let alone a hacker.  A user who wants to learn more about
> the system than the average user and who wants to help the cause --
> maybe that's what I am.

You may not consider yourself a developer, but your definitely not an
'average user'

> > you compile your own emacs
> 
> Compiling Emacs and other packages is what users typically do.  Users

I disagree here. The number of people who compile the software they run
(even if its just one package) is tiny.

> > I like the idea of a free distro being a way for a user to become a
> > developer: include compilers, code, debuggers, doc... but as a
> > complement of a non-technical-user oriented system.
> 
> I firmly believe that a good system should be suitable for just about
> any task one can think of.  That's the "universality" feature of
> Debian that people value so much.  That's the goal of GNU as well.

Agreed.

> > Is true that Debian is not as free as we'd like, but they are the
> > closer we have,
> 
> I don't think so.  Please correct me if I'm wrong -- I read only two
> Fedora lists (mostly to watch Alexandre Oliva's heroic Sisyphean
> efforts, and for general information) -- but:
> 
> - Fedora doesn't have any contrib/non-free repos ("contrib" in
>   Debian's meaning -- i.e. free software that depends on non-free)

OTOH, Fedora ships non-free firmware directly in its primary
repository, rather then putting it in a 'non-free' space.

> - Fedora ships the free GNU manuals
> - Because of Red Hat's corporate fears, they have a stricter policy
>   regarding patents, but that's not a sin, just inconvenience for
>   users.  Some people say that this policy even helps in the adoption
>   of free audio/video codecs, and maybe they're right.
> 
> My only conclusion is that Fedora is closer to a free system than
> Debian is.  Not yet there, surely.

IMO they're both as bad as each other.
kk

-- 
Karl Goetz, (Kamping_Kaiser / VK5FOSS)
Debian contributor / gNewSense Maintainer
http://www.kgoetz.id.au
No, I won't join your social networking group

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