Re: [GNU-linux-libre] Good practices for removing nonfree code found in source code.

[Jean Louis]

* bill-auger <bill-auger@peers.community> [2021-10-02 18:16]:
> On Sat, 2 Oct 2021 00:50:50 +0200 Denis wrote:
> > - Can I simply do some rm -rf inside the package definition to remove
> >   these files? In that case the nonfree code might still be present in
> >   the source code shipped alongside the package.
> >
> > - What about git repositories, like with Replicant? Is it OK if I just
> >   add commits to remove the nonfree code that has been found? Or should
> >   the full history be rewritten somehow?
> 
> there is surely no doubt what the short answer is to either of
> those questions - FSDG distros must not distribute non-free
> software, period - if the distro publishes VCS sources which
> contain non-free software, in any usable form, the non-free bits
> should be purged

Copyright is not void if software is not in "usable" form. 

It could be written on the paper, and usable or not usable, makes no
difference to copyright laws..

Software could be written for quite a different machine, thus not
usable for user's machine, it makes no difference to copyright laws.

Software could incompatible for modern computers, incompatible for a
modern system, it makes no difference to copyright laws.

It could be unusable ant it makes no difference to copyright laws.


Jean

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