Deb DFSG: Just an open source and permissisve license like BSD?

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gd_scania
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Joined: 09/13/2017

Debian has stated itself respecting ‘‘software freedom’’, but broadly tolerates nonfree derivatives (like Ubuntu) and mirroring nonfree repo (for ones like needing nonfree drivers), like a BSD-like license the Deb DFSG needs to be also a permissive license, at least under a GNU viewpoint right?

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

> tolerates nonfree derivatives (like Ubuntu)

What.

Of course they tolerate Ubuntu. There's nothing they can do about it even if they wanted to. If Ubuntu wasn't allowed, Debian wouldn't be libre software. The freedom to redistribute the program is one of the fundamental freedoms of libre software.

I don't wish to offend you, but every post I remember seeing from you is utter nonsense. If you don't understand something, making wild presumptions and speculation about something you know nothing about is not the way to go about fixing that.

The question you should have asked is, "What license is Debian under?" The answer to that question is: none. It's not a work of any kind, so it's not possible for it to have a license. The DFSG does have a license, found here: https://www.debian.org/license However, that is just the license of the document itself and has nothing to do with whether or not Debian is libre. The licenses of the programs within Debian are highly varied, but within the "main" repository section, all libre.

gd_scania
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Joined: 09/13/2017

There is at least an its derivative not being followed under the DFSG: Mint, which Mint dsnt care what are libre or nonfree in their main channel.
The most Debian derivatives including Ubuntu, has well seperated main, nonfree, contrib channels, Ubuntu for example, main is still main, universe is Debian contrib, restricted and multiverse are Debian nonfree,
so how the Deb DFSG works is, your main and contrib channels must be followed under DFSG (though contrib has nonfree deps, which is often unneeded), the remaining will be only found from nonfree channels.
Unlikely, our GNU FSDG, can be perceived to be GPL over GNU systems, which you are impossible to make nonfree derivatives from an GNU system. So Deb DFSG should be as permissive as BSD-like licenses.

Magic Banana

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The Debian Free Software Guidelines is a set of guidelines that the Debian Project uses to determine whether a software license is a free software license, which in turn is used to determine the section of the repository a piece of software enters. It has *nothing* to do with the rights of people making a derivative distribution. The same holds for the Free System Distribution Guidelines.

Your mapping between the sections of Debian's repositories and those of Ubuntu's is wrong. In particular, software in "universe" does not depend on nonfree software. It is not in "main" because Canonical Ltd. does not support it. That is the difference. See https://www.ubuntu.com/about/about-ubuntu/licensing

I agree with onpon4: please stop writing bullshit on this forum.

chaosmonk

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I believe that you are being sincere in your posts on this forum and genuinely care about software freedom. It also seems like English is not your first language, in which case miscommunications are very understandable. However, I agree with onpon4 that many of your posts make assumptions based on misinformation. You might get more out of this forum and contribute more valuable threads if you ask more questions about the topics you are learning about.

gd_scania
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Joined: 09/13/2017

You will be disappointed that I have been often being misled before an impulsive speaking, but I admit I should read more before speaking, and British is honestly my online dominant language but is not if offline, and my offline surrounding are fatally weak in British, even AmE (USA English). I am of course needed to admit which I have been nowhere to well practice for idioms and more kind tones offline.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

Since you have so much trouble with English, your first step is to get your English up to a level that is workable. It is not easy to learn or discuss complex philosophical and legal issues while using a language you barely understand.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your native language?

gd_scania
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Joined: 09/13/2017

My native languages are British if online (I keep reading British in front of my GNU systems and an F-droid device) and Cantonese if offline, my offline environments are quite weak in British, I feel them strongly to be "Chinglish" (some USA English and some Cantonese, but none of British) spoken.
But honestly philosophies and legal stuffs are areas I isnt good at (languages independent), since I am highly annoyed to the too long non-codes text files, just like idioms and oral tones.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

"British" is not a language. No, English is not your native language "if online". Your native language is Cantonese. I would suggest focusing any activist efforts there, where you (presumably) are comprehensible. Your English proficiency is not up to the task, I'm afraid.

Do you understand standard Chinese? Is this legible to you?

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.zh-tw.html

> But honestly philosophies and legal stuffs are areas I isnt good at (languages independent)

Then I recommend you just stick to the basic idea: the idea that the owner of a computer deserves the right to control what that computer does.

gd_scania
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Joined: 09/13/2017

However, my dominant online language is sure to be British English, and I am living in Eastern but the Eastern memes know almost none to free software, I also feel the translations to the Eastern languages too strange like traditional Chinese (no Cantonese but only Taiwan variants) and Japanese, so my free software life is in British English (simply ‘‘British’’ but this is too uncommon, as compared to USA English, AmE).
Honestly yes my English skill is insufficient to be proficient, which I know little about idioms and poems.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

> However, my dominant online language is sure to be British English

It doesn't matter. Your native language is the one you were raised with as a child, not necessarily the one you use the most now. More importantly, as you yourself recognize, you are not fluent or even particularly proficient in English usage.

> Eastern memes know almost none to free software

That's where you come in. Trying to communicate about the issue in broken English isn't going to solve the fact that the idea is not very well-known among Cantonese-speaking circles. What can help solve that is for you to speak about the issue, in your native language. Like I said, for now at least, stick to the basic, basic fundamental values. Tie them in with other values that are familiar to you. Talk about it among your peers, the people you speak to on a daily basis.

Are you able to read and write Cantonese? If so, you can talk about it on the Internet that way, too, in a forum and situation where the discussion is appropriate.

In the long-term, you can focus on improving your understanding English so you can translate https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html into Cantonese. I'm sure there are probably textbooks written in Cantonese that teach English, and there are also tons of forums and other resources on the Internet that can help. I found this, for example:

https://www.englishforums.com/

Any of this would be very helpful to the libre software movement in the long-term. This is a global movement, and it should include exclusive Cantonese speakers, too.

SuperTramp83

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>However, my dominant online language is sure to be British English

yeah we got it :)

chaosmonk

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I hope that this thread hasn't left you feeling rejected by this community. I would not have the courage to attempt to communicate publicly in a language other than English, and it is unfortunate that none of the forums here are in your native language. That said, there have been some great suggestions here about more productive ways for you to use your own knowledge and experiences to advocate software freedom.

In particular, onpon4's suggestion to translate https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html into Cantonese is a great idea. The information on that page is vital to understanding free software, and there are millions of people who cannot read that page now but will be able to with a good translation. That's assuming they find the page, of course, so also keep spreading the message and directing people to resources like these.