[Mageia-dev] Mirror layout

[Luca Berra]

On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 04:47:07AM -0500, Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. wrote:
> | >ands, or buts, about it. If the Mageia community chooses to opeate as a 
> | >criminal organization, I will have nothing to do with it.
> | I don't agree on most of the above, and i believe the last sentence to be
> | offensive, but i will not retaliate lest it becomes a flame war.
>
>I do not see how that statement is offensive. It is a simple statement of fact. 
I am not really sure about US laws, but in some country, like mine there
are two very distinct law body criminal law, and civil law.
So here the term "criminal organizations" leads to think of things
like mafia, large scale drug dealers, murderers etc. And i loathe to be
included in the same group.
>The variety of laws that exist is not the issue, the fact that they do exist 
>is, and this is why I think PLF is a good place for "questionable" software. 
It really is. As Romain pointed out the sum of every law in the world
might result in an empty environment.
(silly real world example)
In some countries it is illegal for women to wear a bourka in public
In some countries it is illegal for women _not_ to wear a bourka in
public.
Now how would you please both? besides my personal belief being women
should be allowed to wear anything they chose and not be judged for that
(and please if what i said is criminal, then call me that)

>main Mageia distribution. I have no problem with such software being 
>distributed where it is legal. I simply want to make it easy for end users and 
>miror hosts to exclude this software where it is illegal. I will not enter 
This is the object, but it cannot be achieved 100%.
1) What about if a particulary restrictive country mandates that all
communication software shall contain a mean for the government to
eavesdrop such communication? shall we move ssl to plf?
2) Not infringing on any patent would require enormous effort, just to
list every possible patent, not to speak of analyzing every software to
ensure it does not do anything covered by a patent.

>into the argument that it is not illegal untill the patent holder comes after 
>you. To my way of thinking, that feels very similar to saying that stealing is 
>not a crime untill you get caught.
NO
First, single patents are not laws
Second, iirc your law requires patent holders to prove the validity of
their patent in trial. this is the exact opposite of catching a thief.
It is the patent holder that has to prove the property was his before
claiming damage.

L.

P.S. I do not like the word 'tainted' for this kind of repository
because it just encourages parallels with theft like Ernest is making
here.

L.

-- 
Luca Berra -- bluca at vodka.it