Regarding freedom issues

Regarding freedom issues

[swedebugia]

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Hi.
I had the idea of integrating guix more with GNU when it comes to packages with freedom issues.

The idea is to add to guix a way to inform the user that the package they just searched for is not included in guix because of freedom issues.

The idea is that when we refuse a package to be included we add it with a short reason to this list.

Something like this
(issues
  (package odoo
  (reason "trapping users by withholding update scripts, see gnu.org/link.to.article"
  (alternatives '(dolibarr tryton smbledger ledger hledger gnucash)))

This makes it clear to the user that they can scratch the itch and fix the problems by contacting upstream, fork or whatever or choose a better alternative. 

What do you think?
-- 
Sent from my k-9 mail for Android.

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Re: Regarding freedom issues

[Pierre Neidhardt]

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Interesting, I like it!

-- 
Pierre Neidhardt
https://ambrevar.xyz/

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Re: Regarding freedom issues

[Dimakakos Dimos]

swedebugia <swedebugia@riseup.net> writes:

> Hi.
> I had the idea of integrating guix more with GNU when it comes to packages with freedom issues.
>
> The idea is to add to guix a way to inform the user that the package they just searched for is not included in guix because of freedom issues.
>
> The idea is that when we refuse a package to be included we add it with a short reason to this list.
>
> Something like this
> (issues
>   (package odoo
>   (reason "trapping users by withholding update scripts, see gnu.org/link.to.article"
>   (alternatives '(dolibarr tryton smbledger ledger hledger gnucash)))
>
> This makes it clear to the user that they can scratch the itch and fix the problems by contacting upstream, fork or whatever or choose a better alternative. 
>
> What do you think?
> -- 
> Sent from my k-9 mail for Android.

I like this as well. We could then make lists of alternatives, so they
could be resusable in similar contexts.

The thing is this seems quite a bit of work, but I think it's in the
right direction. Maybe reuse some catalogs of "non-freedom respecting"
software is doable.

Re: Regarding freedom issues

[Boris A. Dekshteyn]

Hello,

swedebugia <swedebugia@riseup.net> writes:

> or choose a better alternative. 

Debian?

> What do you think?

I mean, from a marketing point of view, this is just a terrible
idea. imo of course.

---
 WBR, Boris Dekshteyn

Re: Regarding freedom issues

[Ricardo Wurmus]

swedebugia <swedebugia@riseup.net> writes:
> The idea is to add to guix a way to inform the user that the package
> they just searched for is not included in guix because of freedom
> issues.
>
> The idea is that when we refuse a package to be included we add it
> with a short reason to this list.
>
> Something like this
> (issues
>   (package odoo
>   (reason "trapping users by withholding update scripts, see gnu.org/link.to.article"
>   (alternatives '(dolibarr tryton smbledger ledger hledger gnucash)))

I don’t think it’s a good idea to clutter Guix with packages that we
won’t add.  There’s already a lot in Guix to provide free software
packages; I don’t think we should add “negative packages”.

That’s out of scope for Guix and could be handled by some other GNU
resource instead.

--
Ricardo

Re: Regarding freedom issues

[swedebugia]

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Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net> skrev: (12 mars 2019 13:32:26 CET)
>
>swedebugia <swedebugia@riseup.net> writes:
>> The idea is to add to guix a way to inform the user that the package
>> they just searched for is not included in guix because of freedom
>> issues.
>>
>> The idea is that when we refuse a package to be included we add it
>> with a short reason to this list.
>>
>> Something like this
>> (issues
>>   (package odoo
>>   (reason "trapping users by withholding update scripts, see
>gnu.org/link.to.article"
>>   (alternatives '(dolibarr tryton smbledger ledger hledger gnucash)))
>
>I don’t think it’s a good idea to clutter Guix with packages that we
>won’t add.  There’s already a lot in Guix to provide free software
>packages; I don’t think we should add “negative packages”.
>
>That’s out of scope for Guix and could be handled by some other GNU
>resource instead.
>
>--
>Ricardo

Ok. I understand. 
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