Re: [ELPA] New package: repology.el

[Ulrich Mueller]

>>>>> On Thu, 31 Dec 2020, Jean Louis wrote:

> GNU project is development of free software. It does not contribute
> and should not contribute to installations, references, promotion or
> support to non-free software, neither it shall support remote servers
> doing so.

> Specific free GNU/Linux operating systems and their packages are
> promoted and supported by GNU project:
> https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html

I've always wondered how many of the Emacs developers are actually using
one of these? On free hardware with free firmware, because everything
else would be inconsequent.

> Others are not supported:
> https://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.html

> As non-free packages are not advertised by GNU project neither by free
> endorsed OSes it would be contradiction to advertise such non-free
> packages through this package. GNU ELPA should not promote such
> non-free packages and should not provide API to remote server that
> lists, searches, indexes and provides results where non-free packages
> may be included.

> The package you proposed does not teach users about free software but
> advertises non-free software.

> repology.org compiles databases of free software and non-free software
> together without any ethical distinction.

I find your standpoint rather extreme, because the vast majority of the
projects there is distributed under a free software license.

If there weren't any such services as repology.org, users would likely
use a search engine to find a specific package. How is that better?

> It is in contradiction how endorsed free software GNU/Linux operating
> systems are structured, see:
> https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html

> Additionally it advertises third party server about which we know
> nothing of, which would collecting data from Emacs users.

IIUC their server's software is licensed under GPLv3+ and publicly
available.