Re: FSDG issues of SCUMMVM-based games

[Maxime Devos <maximedevos@telenet.be>]

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On 24-08-2022 22:24, zimoun wrote:
> My understanding of the Debian argument is:
>
>   1. the licence is BSD-like respecting the Debian Free Software Guidelines
>
>   2. point #3 of DFSG [2] says «The license must allow modifications and
>   derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same
>   terms as the license of the original software.»
>
>   3. considering game data, all people are equals – from original author
>   to users – because the tool set for modifying these game data does not
>   exist anymore
>
> Therefore, drascula is part of the ’main’ Debian archive, scummvm too.

I remember (3). I find this an interesting argument.

As far as I know, the 4 freedoms and the whole 'free software!' thing 
was not a goal in itself, but rather a means to  a goal, a response to 
'many times some people and organisations have imposed impractical 
restrictions on software, causing problems (example: this situation in 
19NN, that situation in 20??, ...) -- can we identify the problems and 
generalize until we have a set of rules (4 freedoms) that need to be 
respected to avoid the problems?'.

As far as I know, drascula situation is not comparable (see: 'all people 
are equals') to the old problems. Yet, I cannot say it's free software 
(without the tools, it's effectively a binary instead of source code 
until, if ever, the tools are reinvented) (see some of my other 
responses in this thread).

As such, do the 4 freedoms need some refinement to accept drascula, do 
we have to weaken our requirement of 'only free software' for special 
situations like this one, or do we remove drascula, or is there somehow 
a fourth option I'm not thinking of?

Myself, I do not know the answer. However, I cannot help with the first 
option, the second sounds iffy to me (the exception would need to be 
worded really well, or it would be a 'case-by-case' matter which could 
take a long time to decide case-by-case, and in both cases it doesn't 
seem to fit in 'GNU: free software!').

As such, for me, only the third (removing drascula) is practical for me, 
but there are other people here too which could perhaps, say, do the 
first or something ...

Greetings,
Maxime.


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