[Mageia-dev] Repository question: where do we put non-free+tainted RPMs?

[andre999]

Wolfgang Bornath a écrit :
> 2011/7/7 nicolas vigier<boklm at mars-attacks.org>:
>> On Thu, 07 Jul 2011, Wolfgang Bornath wrote:
>>
>>> I must admit I do not understand the cause of this discussion, maybe I
>>> am thinking in too simple ways. Free goes in core, non-free goes in
>>> non-free. If a non-free software has a restrictive license it goes in
>>> tainted. A free software can not have a restrictive license, if it has
>>> it is not free and goes in tainted.
>>
>> Tainted is not about restrictive license but patents. A free software
>> can have a free license, but do something which is maybe patented.
>
> Yes, right. I made a mistake there - just replace "restrictive
> license" with "patents" in my sentence.

"free" means that it can be redistributed with source code, with a free/open 
source license.
"non-free" (in terms of the repos) means that it can be redistributed, but 
either not with source code, according to the license + or we simply don't 
have/can't get the source code.
"tainted" was mostly for packages affected to some extent by tainted patents.
Such packages could be free or non-free, that has nothing to do with being in 
"tainted".
Some discussions in the past considered that the likelihood of a patent 
impacting a particular software (in the few countries that do accept software 
packages to some extent, like the USA), should affect whether it goes into 
tainted or not.  I don't know what consensus there was on this point, if any.

There were some suggestions that non-free packages should go into "non-free", 
even if considered subject to tainted patents.  And some proposed excluding 
such packages.

So the question is, should a non-free package potentially affected by patents 
go into "non-free" or "tainted".
Those more interested in using "free" as much as possible, might tend to say 
"non-free", especially if they use "tainted".  So as to avoid using any 
non-free packages.
Those who consider patents legitimate, among others, might tend to say 
"tainted", especially if they use "non-free.  So as to avoid using any software 
which might be subject to patents.  If they live in an area where software 
patents risk to be found legitimate, such as the USA.
Of course, those who don't use "non-free" (except for software coming from it's 
manufacturer) or "tainted", wouldn't be concerned by this question.

-- 
André