Re: [GNU-linux-libre] programming language package manager

[Richard Stallman]

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  > - setting up a repository space
  > - making a script that checks the license of each package and pulls it
  >   when approved
  > - maintaining a modified version of the package manager to point to the
  >   alternative URL

That's right.

The second step is the main one, so I suggest doing that step first.

  > One potential issue just occurred to me: free packages can have
  > non-free dependencies. But if we can tackle that, then this could be a
  > low effort compromise.

If the repository records dependencies, this won't be very difficult.
Anything that depends on a nonfree package, treat as nonfree itself.

If the repository does not record dependencies, maybe it is easy to
find them by scanning the source code.  It might be easy to do a quick
and dirty implementation that handles all the real practical cases,
and that is good enough.

  > - annoying people who perceive this as dividing the community

Criticism from people who don't care is a sign that we are raising an
important ethical issue.  We must not try to avoid their criticism by
ducking the issue we aim to raise.  That would be allowing them to to
steer us away from our mission.

Responding to their criticism gives us a chance to argue for
our principles.  Bring it on!

  > I suggested [1] asking the people who run the repositories to add a
  > license filter. That way the only other thing we need to do is maintain
  > a modified version of the package manager that filters on free
  > licenses.

This is certainly a step in the right direction, but I think it is not
a full and clear solution _because it works invisibly_.

If we point at a _different_ repository and we _say why_, that will
educate people about the issue each time they look.


-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation (gnu.org, fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (internethalloffame.org)
Skype: No way! See stallman.org/skype.html.