Confirmation: Iridium is libre
I just wanted to mention this, since the topic of Iridium has come up in the past:
There was an issue on Iridium's bug tracker asking for the developers to confirm that Iridium is 100% libre software. I decided to post there to get their attention, and a contributor has confirmed that, yes, it is:
https://github.com/iridium-browser/tracker/issues/93
So that's nice. :)
Their reply seems a trifle evasive. I have chimed in on GitHub too, to ask for an answer specifically about the presence of proprietary plug-ins.
He's already replied back to you. That was fast.
"fully Open-Source means 100% including any and all components, plugins, extensions, patches, snippets and everything else it is shipped with by default."
onpong4 said: "fully Open-Source means 100% including any and all components, plugins, extensions, patches, snippets and everything else it is shipped with by default."
there is a difference between open source and to be FSF CERTIFIED. do not confuse both. i have an old iridium satellite phone and I could tell there are not that "open source". It is propietary properties
They also added this to their FAQ page:
"Iridium Browser is fully open source and does not use any proprietary components. Check out the source code. [linked to their own Git repo]"
https://iridiumbrowser.de/faq
This meets FSF standards as long as all source code is available, under an FSF-approved license. On this topic, the FAQ states:
"As the Iridium Browser is based on Chromium, the same license applies. Chromium consists of many parts and each carries its own license. By entering chrome://credits/ into the address bar, all components are listed and their license can be viewed."
I guess Dave (or someone) will need to do this before the Iridium page can be approved on the FSD.
well my phone is 13 year old, maybe the modern ones have something related to FSF.
The Iridium we are discussing is a new web browser forked from Chromium. Rest assured, it has nothing to do with your 13 year old phone.
strypey AND ONPONG
well chromium when it comes to FSF CERTIFICATION is not available! IT DOES FALL ON THE LIST List of software that does not respect the Free System Distribution Guidelines remember the difference of open source and THE FSF CERTIFICATION.
chromium-browser
Description: Freed version of googles Chrome Web browser
Homepage: http://www.chromium.org/Home
Problem: (1) Copyright or license of some code is unclear
(2) Links to proprietary plugins.
Recommended Fix: Remove program/package
Use GNU IceCat, or equivalent
References: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=28291
Copyright file: http://src.chromium.org/viewvc/chrome/trunk/src/LICENSE?revision=HEAD&view=markup
(Source) package name(s): chromium-browser
chromium-bsu
Description: Fast paced, arcade-style, scrolling space shooter
Homepage: http://chromium-bsu.sourceforge.net
Problem: Artistic License 1.0 for versions 0.9.14-1 and prior.
Recommended Fix: Debian, at least, has permission to distribute it under the Clarified Artistic License since version 0.9.14.1.
Distribute that (or something based on it) and you're fine.
References: Version 0.9.14.1-1ubuntu1 copyright file (Trisquel package)
Copyright file: chromium-bsu copyright file
(Source) package name(s): chromium, chromium-bsu
> chromium-browser
> Description: Freed version of googles Chrome Web browser
> Homepage: http://www.chromium.org/Home
> Problem: (1) Copyright or license of some code is unclear
> (2) Links to proprietary plugins.
> Recommended Fix: Remove program/package
>
> Use GNU IceCat, or equivalent
>
> References: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=28291
> Copyright file:
> http://src.chromium.org/viewvc/chrome/trunk/src/LICENSE?revision=HEAD&view=markup
> (Source) package name(s): chromium-browser
> chromium-bsu
> Description: Fast paced, arcade-style, scrolling space shooter
> Homepage: http://chromium-bsu.sourceforge.net
> Problem: Artistic License 1.0 for versions 0.9.14-1 and prior.
> Recommended Fix: Debian, at least, has permission to distribute it
> under the Clarified Artistic License since version 0.9.14.1.
>
> Distribute that (or something based on it) and you're fine.
> References: Version 0.9.14.1-1ubuntu1 copyright file (Trisquel package)
> Copyright file: chromium-bsu copyright file
> (Source) package name(s): chromium, chromium-bsu
I know where this text come from, all I can say is that we are still
discussing if that page in LibrePlanet wiki is really the right place
for that list, also, that page must no longer be updated since we'll
need to refactor it.
True! Thanks for the heads-up. I just added a thank you to the thread.
On the GitHub issue tracker for Iridium, David Hedlund wrote:
"Iridium is still under investigation since it's using Chromium as code base."
What are the next steps in this investigation? Compile from source and compare the resulting binary to the binary distributed by Iridium? Would this need to be done for each platform that Iridium distributes binaries for?
> What are the next steps in this investigation? Compile from source and
For the next steps, David already gave a lead. For a page which lists
software which deserves high scrutiny, see [1].
Also, in particular to Iridium, since it depends on Chromium, see the
talk page for Chromium in the FSD ([2]), try to do the same of what is
done there, but for Iridium, and then remove any false-positives ---
once the raw list is ready, and if it's more than 5 MiB, it's useful to
make a torrent file and always seed it so that others can help out on
removing the false-positives (keep in mind that to seed it you might
need to keep a "seeding" copy and also a "working" copy of the raw
list), or find at least two places in which the list can be put so that
you and the contributors don't depend on just one place.
As an improvement, instead of using licensecheck, make use of a tool
that attempts to catch most things which are similar to "legalese"
language (at the cost of more false-positives), such as the FSD
Participation/Script Aid ([3]). This one is being used to evaluate
Discourse ([4]).
> What are the next steps in this investigation? Compile from source and
> compare the resulting binary to the binary distributed by Iridium?
> Would this need to be done for each platform that Iridium distributes
> binaries for?
These steps for compilation checking, and binary and distribution
checking are a very helpful thing to do. For one, it could be a way to
see if potential users of Iridium are receiving the same freedoms of the
software, not depending on "opt-in" stuff such as those found *only when
building* Riot.im for Android ([5]).
There is more to this checking than the example I just described, of
course, as you have to pretend to be a naive new user to the software
and to free/libre software concept in order to simulate the act/bahavior
of the user when looking for directions on stuff such as if his/her
rights are explained, what's the license, how are the source files
offered (and if they match his/her version of the software, also in the
future when the local copy isn't updated compared to the master
repository), and perhaps other things I'm forgetting.
I hope this helps.
[1]
https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Free_software_evaluation
.
[2] https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Talk:Chromium .
[3] https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Participate/Script_aid .
[4] https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Talk:Discourse#Evaluation_using_FSD_Script.2FParticipation_Aid .
[5] https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Talk:Riot.im .
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Yeah, it sure would be nice to eventually get Iridium in Trisquel. I was never big on Chromium, but I know a lot of people do like Chrome and having a real choice* would be great.
* Yes, there's all those WebKit browsers, but WebKit has security problems and these browsers often don't support many extensions.
I am a translator!
>but WebKit has security problems
What problems? Are you saying that my Qupzilla browser will burn my hard drive with hellish flames? :(
I am a translator!
tx for the linky, senor onpon!
SuperTramp83 SAID:
but WebKit has security problems
What problems? Are you saying that my Qupzilla browser will burn my hard drive with hellish flames? :( Are you saying that my Qupzilla browser will burn my hard drive with hellish flames? :(
What problems? SO IT IS YOUR GLUTENOUS POISONOUS AND FLAMMABLE GASES STAINING YOUR DRAWERS..! LoL ,j/k
Just to be safe,i SURELY DON'T WANT TO stare or STAY CLOSE to any of your PC components might have some kind of super-tramp bacteria!
that is pertinent, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER!! LOL j/k
I am a translator!
Si... si... you mad horse, Jodienda :)
"WebKit has security problems"
Have those problems been fixed in the Blink engine that was forked from parts of WebKit, and is now used by Chromium and its derivatives (Chrome and I presume Iridium)? Otherwise it might be better to stick with a Firefox-based browser, or another free code browser that isn't a derivative of either Firefox or Chromium (are there any?).
The problem is only with the way WebKit is distributed, so Blink doesn't have the same problem. That's one major reason why there has been a push to switch to it for Qt, the way I understand it.
I am a member!
A GNOME dev says WebKit does NOT have security problems, IF you use
the GTK libraries for it, and IF you actually get updates for it.
https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2017/02/08/an-update-on-webkit-security-updates/
SuperTramp83
LOL
Well, I will develop a sat-phone only with the satellite foot print of each person FOOTING. The software will open sorcerer, mix with components of Googly, and micro softy.
LOL J/K