On Fri, Jan 08, 2010 at 10:30:15AM +0100, Tassilo Horn wrote: > Marek Aaron Sapota writes: > > Hi Marek, > > > It is possible to use only Free Software with Gentoo but it isn't > > that > > easy: > > - packages have non-free dependences, sometimes programs compile > > fine > > without them, but they are pulled in anyway > > What do you mean with "pulled in". I tried to install a package that > has a non-free dependency, and portage 2.2 told me it cannot install > it, > because this dependency is masked by my license restriction. I mean that I can not install a package only because it has a non-free dependency even if it works fine without it - for example X.Org and Wine pull in non-free fonts. Inconvenience that makes your system less powerful if you want to only use Free Software. > > > - some free "alternatives" are only in additional repositories > > Usually, this occurs if a package simply doesn't work for most users, > or > no maintainer has been found yet. Icedtea is in an overlay even if it works perfectly. > > > - predefined license groups (for example FSF approved) are not > > complete > > Indeed, currently GPL-1 and LGPL-2 are missing. But that will surely > be > fixed as soon as the overall mechanics are stable. > > > - some packages have wrong licenses (usually license is named after > > the > > This applies to many modular X11 packages, but work is in progress to > fix that. And of course, this will never make a non-free package > installable if you've set your ACCEPT_LICENSE to match only free > licenses. It will prevent installing those programs although they > might > be free. The other way round would be a showstopper, but this way > it's > only a little inconvenience. Indeed - it makes it inconvenient to use only Free Software with Gentoo. To be a Free Distribution Gentoo would have to show commitment to Free Software and they clearly don't. They treat the system as complete including non-free software and that is why using it without non-free components is inconvenient. Before the system works equally good without non-free packages I don't see any option of Gentoo being listed. This is a difference of "user can be free" and "distribution cares that users are free". Happy hacking Marek Aaron Sapota PS. To clear up I use Gentoo and I use ACCEPT_LICENSE almost since it got implemented.