Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > linux.debian.project > #14130

Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian?

From Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no>
Newsgroups linux.debian.project
Subject Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian?
Date 2026-01-31 20:50 +0100
Message-ID <Mjp8J-eLKR-5@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <MiXYR-etP8-3@gated-at.bofh.it> <MjfCp-eFwl-3@gated-at.bofh.it> <MjfCp-eFwl-1@gated-at.bofh.it> <MjhkR-eGEX-3@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization Private

Show all headers | View raw


]] Jonas Smedegaard 

> Would you (the plural you - all those responding so far, and everyone
> reading this who has voting power in Debian) prefer that Debian
> considered "too-strictly-free" packaging a release-critical bug and
> reason for rejection in NEW queue screening?

mu.

Like a few others in the thread, as a general rule, I don't consider the
packaging as copyrightable.  (There are obviously counterexamples to
this.)

However, If you do claim that it is copyrightable by putting a license
on it, I think using a different license than upstream is poor
form. Packaging someone's work is, hopefully, a respectful and
collaborative activity with upstream where they'll accomodate reasonable
requests from the packager, and vice versa.  Choosing a different
license than upstream seems like adding unnecessary friction to that
relationship.  (This assumes a free license for the upstream code, if
it's non-free, I'd say different expectations apply.)

I don't think violating this expectation and social norm is grounds for
rejection from NEW, but having the reviewer note it and give you some
friction for it seems appropriate to me.

-- 
Tollef Fog Heen
UNIX is user friendly, it's just picky about who its friends are

Back to linux.debian.project | Previous | NextPrevious in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread


Thread

is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Jonas Smedegaard <dr@jones.dk> - 2026-01-30 15:50 +0100
  Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Matthias Geiger <werdahias@riseup.net> - 2026-01-30 17:40 +0100
    Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Martin <debacle@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 12:30 +0100
  Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Soren Stoutner <soren@debian.org> - 2026-01-30 17:40 +0100
  Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Andrey Rakhmatullin <wrar@debian.org> - 2026-01-30 17:40 +0100
  Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Arto Jantunen <viiru@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 10:40 +0100
    Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Jonas Smedegaard <dr@jones.dk> - 2026-01-31 12:30 +0100
      Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Andrey Rakhmatullin <wrar@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 12:50 +0100
      Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Matthias Geiger <werdahias@riseup.net> - 2026-01-31 17:30 +0100
      Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Mechtilde Stehmann <mechtilde@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 18:00 +0100
      Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no> - 2026-01-31 20:50 +0100
        Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Simon Josefsson <simon@josefsson.org> - 2026-02-02 16:20 +0100
          Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? "Andrea Pappacoda" <andrea@pappacoda.it> - 2026-02-03 15:10 +0100
          Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Guillem Jover <guillem@debian.org> - 2026-02-04 10:50 +0100
            Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Soren Stoutner <soren@debian.org> - 2026-02-04 18:30 +0100
    Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? "Andrea Pappacoda" <tachi@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 17:10 +0100
    Is Packaging Copyrightable (was: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian?) Soren Stoutner <soren@debian.org> - 2026-02-02 20:10 +0100
      Re: Is Packaging Copyrightable Martin <debacle@debian.org> - 2026-02-02 21:50 +0100
        as any other metadata + code expression  Question: Is Packaging Copyrightable Yaroslav Halchenko <yoh@debian.org> - 2026-02-03 00:30 +0100
      Re: Is Packaging Copyrightable Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no> - 2026-02-02 23:00 +0100
        Re: Is Packaging Copyrightable Soren Stoutner <soren@debian.org> - 2026-02-02 23:40 +0100
  Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Antoine Le Gonidec <vv221@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 17:40 +0100
  Re: is copyleft packaging bad for Debian? Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> - 2026-01-31 20:00 +0100

csiph-web