Re: [ELPA] New package: repology.el

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2021 00:00:36 +0300
> From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> Cc: arthur.miller@live.com, rms@gnu.org, ams@gnu.org,
>   dgutov@yandex.ru, ulm@gentoo.org, emacs-tangents@gnu.org
> 
> > > I see that repology.org does not make any distinction and it cannot do
> > > that easily technically. So it does not make neither free software nor
> > > proprietary better or worse by any reasons. And that is the problem.
> > 
> > How is it a problem? where's the promotion, please?
> 
> A WWW index of hyperlinks is promotion of hyperlinks. Simple placement
> of a hyperlink on anybody's website is promotion of the other
> website.

That doesn't match the meaning of the word, please re-read its
definition.  Reference and promotion are not the same thing.

> Since 2021, GNU project did not provide references to proprietary
> software.

What GNU project does is not sacred.  The policy is set by humans, and
the reasoning for that policy is human reasoning.  Thus, arguments
about what we have been doing are not valid as reasons against changes
in that policy, because new convincing reasoning, as well as specific
new practical use cases brought to light, can legitimately change or
augment existing policies.  Failure to do so, or even to consider
changes, would mean that GNU is a dogmatic movement, which it isn't,
and never has been.

> I would be surprised if GNU project begins doing that from 2021, as
> if we continue disintegrating the basic principles of GNU project,
> by 2031 we may expect something worse, maybe total disappearance of
> GNU project in its sense of free software teaching center.

Forgive me my language, but this is FUD.  You have no real basis for
spreading such fears.  It isn't like what's proposed here is
cancellation of the GNU Manifesto or anything basic like that.