[maemo-developers] Ask for removal of some packages from Extras Fremantle repository

[From: Darren Long]

Hi,

See below ...

On 22 Mar 2010, at 19:55, Till Harbaum / Lists wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> why should you have to continue to provide the sources once you removed the binaries?

Doesn't the GPL say so?  I believe that if the source isn't provided with the binaries, then it has to be available for 3 years, from those who distributed the binaries, which in this case is maemo.org.

My example of pygtkeditor isn't such a great one. As it is written in python, the source ships to all recipients anyway, so perhaps I should have stayed in my hole and kept quiet :)

> 
> And why should you insist

Because the GPL says we can.  

> on uploading old versions to maemo respositories

I'm just not inclined to support the removal of open source packages from the maemo.org repos, when we/they don't have to.  We/they could just push new builds through extras as and when new packages appear on any other repo, as with any other free package, so there's no reason why they would be (too) old.

> which a) just ignores the authors wishes and worse b) interferes with his work on establishing his own repository.

If those wishes aren't aligned with the GPL, then I'm not sure I'm all that bothered (again I'm not being specific to this case - no offence Benoit, but in general) by them.  

Issues with a repository clash are a problem, though.  Its not as if anyone can just switch distros from maemo so there are obviously ramifications if the wishes don't come true.  

Maybe there is a more appropriate solution that could be reached than the one being advocated.

> 
> Let him his freedom. Let him start his own repository and just see if he fails and ends up on those "warning, this repository is dangerous" lists or if he perhaps succeeds and ends as "the famous community driven repository that is more reliable and causes less anger and has cooler apps than the maemo repositories"? 

Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?  I seem to remember that Spock and Kirk had different views and my ears are a little bit pointy :)  

> 
> Who knows? Why not just letting him do this? Don't take all this so serious! Heck, it's only a cell phone we are talking about. It's not the end of the world if someone actually has fun messing with its possibilities.

Its not this specific case I have issues with, its the principle, in general, of withdrawing GPL code from the maemo.org repos.  No-one has the right to require its removal.

Darren

> 
> Till
> 
> Am Montag 22 März 2010 schrieb Darren Long:
>> Presumably the source must continue to be available from the extras repositories, even after the package binaries have been removed, assuming its under the GPL, which e.g. Pygtkeditor is.
>> 
>> I'd suggest not removing the binary packages from extras, on the grounds that they don't have to be removed, and that maemo.org is free to distribute them if we/they so wish.
>> 
>> Furthermore, there is no reason why someone from maemo.org shouldn't push source packages from  other repositories into extras* to keep them up to date and readily available in the maemo context.  This is true for any upstream free package  in general, and equally true for any desirable package that just so happens to have been pulled from extras on a whim.
>> 
>> No disrespect to Benoit intended.
>> 
>> Darren
>