Re: [GNU-linux-libre] youtube-dl might be running non-free software from

[Adonay Felipe Nogueira]

NOTE: I'm Cc-ing the Free Software Foundation's Licensing and Compliance
Lab in order to ask the questions related to the Free System
Distribution Guidelines (GNU FSDG) which will be presented in the
following paragraphs.

rain1, thank you very much for studying this issue! :)

I was wondering about the point you made on using non-free software to
further the use of free/software: I do agree with it, but in the case of
youtube-dl, the people who do use YouTube to watch free/libre software
related videos published in YouTube will (in normal browsing conditions)
automatically be running more non-free software (through JS) when simply
visiting the front page of YouTube. It's also important to note that in
recent talks, Stallman and other speakers do warn about this issue in
the start of the talks but before the main subject is started. And also,
the videos related to free/libre software that are published on YouTube
don't serve the purpose of teaching how to replace YouTube itself, so I
don't know if that reference made applies here.

Besides, now passing towards the main purpose of this mailing list (to
work towards free/libre system distributions), looking at the GNU FSDG
we can see that there is no direct reference as to what must be done
with the case of JavaScript traps in the free/libre system
distributions. However, there is an indirect point made there, that is,
the section about license rules
[[https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html#license-rules]],
which for me would mean that we would have to adapt or remove youtube-dl
in order for it to be included in free/libre system
distributions. However, this is my own opinion, not a final conclusion.

So the question remains:

1. Considering the current GNU FSDG: What free/libre system distributions
   should do when they face the JavaScript trap in case some of the
   packages they have depend on non-free JavaScript?

2. Optional (probably better suitable as another
   thread/topic/discussion): What should free/libre system distributions
   do about functional data that fosters the use of network services that
   have non-free JS? /E.g./: GNOME Online Accounts (which by default
   provides functionality to connect to those network services that have
   non-free JS).

3. As a suggestion for the Free Software Foundation's Licensing and
   Compliance Lab: Could the GNU FSDG have a text clarifying what must
   be done in questions #1 and #2?


Respectfully, Adonay.

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