Re: MAME emulator is giving incentive to use non-free software

[Nils Gillmann]

Jean Louis <address@hidden> writes:

> Hello Nils,
>
> On Tue, Mar 29, 2016 at 02:41:54PM +0200, Nils Gillmann wrote:
>> If we drop it, there will be very likely inofficial repositories
>> carrying it, like there are now for custom packaged non-free
>> software. And those people will end up coming to our chat and
>> lists, and we have to deal with it somehow in distancing us very
>> clearly from third party packages (if not already done so).
>
> That is because basic guidlines of GuixSD are missing.

I disagree, we have guidelines:
https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/manual/html_node/Packaging-Guidelines.html

I said there will be inofficial repositories, because that's what
already is the case for for example bio info software, or private
collections of packages, things which will never be merged into
guix master because of licensing issues.

For example Gentoo has so called overlays, official ones and
inofficial ones. If I remember corrently, they distance
themselves from any non-portage software very strongly and for
project oriented official overlays the projects (like KDE-project
of gentoo) have their freedom to point out if and where they can
get suppport.

You can't prevent packages being written and made available
somewhere out of the project. That's the only thing I meant to
say, nothing else.

> And people surely
> come for the convenience but miss to understand what it means to
> distribute free software.
>
> I am now more aware of that. There is absolutely no legal background in
> accepting packages for distribution, which means developers lack
> understanding of it.
>
> It is not possible to be a programmer and attorney in the same
> time.
> Qualified people, probably from FSF, shall assist in solving
> trademark issues, as there is no point giving links if those who make
> software packages, and those who accept it, do not have a process of
> legal approval.
>
> For example, I guess there is absolutely no point in reading this text
> here over Nintendo® trademarks:
> https://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp#emulator because those who
> accept packages they simply think it is alright to do what they do, and
> their opinions and knowledge lack any clues of trademark laws.
>
> Jean Lous
>
>

-- 
ng
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