www/distros free-system-distribution-guidelines...

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       21/08/31 06:44:43

Modified files:
        distros        : free-system-distribution-guidelines.html 

Log message:
        Explain why an option not to install any nonfree packages
        is not good enough.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.69&r2=1.70

Patches:
Index: free-system-distribution-guidelines.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html,v
retrieving revision 1.69
retrieving revision 1.70
diff -u -b -r1.69 -r1.70
--- free-system-distribution-guidelines.html    31 Aug 2021 10:39:44 -0000      
1.69
+++ free-system-distribution-guidelines.html    31 Aug 2021 10:44:43 -0000      
1.70
@@ -86,6 +86,17 @@
 that implement EME, the browser functionality designed to load DRM
 modules.</p>
 
+<p>Some nonfree distros offer an installation option to exclude
+nonfree packages.  That option is a step forward, since it makes
+avoiding them much easier, provided the distro's implementation of the
+option is fully correct.  However, the nonfree packages are
+nonetheless included in the distro.  Moreover, we know that most users
+are not strongly committed to software freedom, and will not reject
+packages that seem handy just for being nonfree.  Practically
+speaking, to list one of these distros as free would mostly lead
+people to install nonfree software.  For these reasons, we do not list
+them.</p>
+
 <p>There's a lot of code in most free system distributions today; the
 amount of effort it would take to audit it all directly is impractical
 for most teams.  In the past, some nonfree code has accidentally been
@@ -354,7 +365,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2021/08/31 10:39:44 $
+$Date: 2021/08/31 10:44:43 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>