[Mageia-dev] rehashing the faac issue

[Frank Griffin]

On 10/04/2012 11:29 AM, Wolfgang Bornath wrote:
> Still the trust on a software filter is not the same as the trust in a 
> visible separation. If you think there is no technical difference, 
> this discussion is not just on technical of the issue. If I go into an 
> empty room which is dark, everybody could tell me that the room is 
> empty and I can't hurt myself by falling over some furniture - still 
> I'd prefer the lights on. 
You're correct, and one of the points I'm trying to make is that while 
it is reasonable to technically enable FOSS enthusiasts to install a 
FOSS-only system easily, it is not reasonable to make things difficult 
for everyone else simply to pander to FOSS political correctness.

The same argument underlies the issue of an install process that caters 
to both free and nonfree via a switch versus one that allows no nonfree 
software on the install media or no nonfree repo to be considered by the 
installer.  In  both cases, a FOSS enthusiast can have what he wants, 
but I'm sure the enthusiast would be happier with the latter case, for 
all the non-technical reasons you mention, including that it makes it 
more difficult for others to do things of which he disapproves.

If there's no technical difference between two approaches, we ought to 
pick the one that works best for the greatest part of the user base.