On 2022-02-19, matt@excalamus.com wrote:
>  ---- On Sat, 19 Feb 2022 21:33:47 -0500 Vagrant Cascadian <vagrant@debian.org> wrote ----
>  > Every now and then someone stumbles into #guix and ask questions that
>  > I've gleaned over time are off-topic (e.g. non-free software). While I
>  > have a pretty good idea what is appropriate for the channel, it is not
>  > clear to me where that is documentated.
>
> I see the following when I connect to #guix:
>
> -ChanServ- [#guix] Welcome to #guix, home of the GNU Guix project! | Be kind
>            to everyone. Ground rules:
>            <https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/guix.git/tree/CODE-OF-CONDUCT> |
>            Non-free software is off-topic:
>            <https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html>
>            | Leave messages with sneek: /msg sneek help

I admittedly forget to check the messages from chanserv for channels I
frequent regularly, having personally grown accustomed to the norms of
the channel...

So yes, linking to the Free System Distribution Guidelines implies what
is off-topic, though is still maybe not targeted towards online
communications; it more appears to be written with the audience of
someone making a free software distribution or auditing one. It seems
like the most relevent passage is:

  "A free system distribution must not steer users towards obtaining any
  nonfree information for practical use, or encourage them to do so. The
  system should have no repositories for nonfree software and no
  specific recipes for installation of particular nonfree programs. Nor
  should the distribution refer to third-party repositories that are not
  committed to only including free software; even if they only have free
  software today, that may not be true tomorrow. Programs in the system
  should not suggest installing nonfree plugins, documentation, and so
  on."

People often miss the part about not indirectly referring to non-free
software. Even if pointed to the FSDG, it is admittedly a bit hard to
grasp at times just what exactly constitutes "steer users towards
obtaining any nonfree information for practical use" or how it applies
to, say IRC. Individuals in IRC are not "the distribution", though the
new and long-time community members obviously make up perhaps the most
imporant part of the distribution.


I only bring this up because I regularly see this come up in the IRC
channel, and if an issue frequently comes up, usually that is a sign
that something could be improved in documentation, website, tooling,
etc. ... and when asked for one, I didn't have a good summary to point
to in my toolbox.


Maybe it is now my job to propose something concrete, but I was
curious what others thought before diving into details. :)


live well,
  vagrant