[maemo-developers] ... and QA of closed source applications?

[From: ed at okerson.com]

> Just arrived... out of order mail is so much fun :)
>
> On Wednesday 06 May 2009 14:37:18 you wrote:
>> > non-free software, but rather to be in the clear that people *know*
>> which
>> > software is, and which isn't free and then decide for themselves if
>> they
>> > want it or not. In the spirit of recalling the history of the wheel,
>> I'll
>>
>> Done since years ago.
>>
>> http://repository.maemo.org/extras-devel/pool/fremantle/free/
>> http://repository.maemo.org/extras-devel/pool/fremantle/non-free/
>
> As Jeremiah pointed out, it's more of a clarity thing. As it is now, it's
> fairly difficult for users to see/make that choice. To make things worse,
> the
> application manager does not display the repository, much less the
> component
> an application belongs to. Even if it would, if you install an application
> directly from maemo.org, you will likely get a
>
> [extras]
> name = maemo Extras
> uri = http://repository.maemo.org/extras/
> components = free non-free
>
> stanza automatically from .install. Now, provided you even know about
> free/non-free components, you would have to go to the application manager
> ->
> tools -> catalogues -> pick extras -> edit and then know what free and
> non-free actually means in that context and how to edit them. I don't
> think
> it's trivial for newbies at all. Making this a higher (repository level)
> choice IMHO makes it a lot clearer.

Most newbies don't really care if it is free (as in speech) as long as it
is free (as in beer).  And the Apple i-store tells us they don't even care
that much about free (as in beer) anymore.  Nor would they know what to do
with the source if they had it.

Ed Okerson