Re: [gNewSense-users] Suspected Non-free

[Andrew Wigglesworth]

On Monday 16 April 2007 06:18, Kevin Dean wrote:
<snip>
> However, the FSF definition IS used to determine if software is
> distributed by gNewSense. The question of "How do we define Free" has
> already been answered and it DOES look beyond the license.
</snip>

An example?  I've not seen that in any of the packaging decisions made in 
gNewSense.

<snip>
>
> The complete source code of the kernel Linux is NOT availible, and
> that's EXACTLY why the gNewSense project, in essence, forked the Linux
> kernel to remove the non-free components.
>
</snip>

gNewSense has not forked the Linux kernel in any sense.  gNewSense is Ubuntu 
Dapper without the non-free stuff put in by Debian/Ubuntu.

> If you can not reasonably makes changes to it, it's not Free. You can
> not _reasonably_ make changes to binary firmware so it has been deemed
> non-Free and removed. It is GPL, and it is non-Free. The same
> situation exists for the Radeon driver provided by Xorg. It is a Free
> Software license, but it contain ATI microcode that can not be
> reasonably modified so it is non-Free and removed.

The Free Software Radeon drivers have not been removed in gNewSense.  See the 
package:

xserver-xorg-driver-ati



-- 
Andrew