Re: Latex freedom issues

[Jean Louis]

* Caleb Herbert <csh@bluehome.net> [2021-06-27 00:37]:
> On Fri, 2021-06-25 at 23:35 +0300, Jean Louis wrote:
> > Nothing forbid you to install software yourself.
> 
> Unless you're using a distro like Parabola, which uses a blacklist
> scheme for keeping the system clean. If I were using Parabola, I'd have
> to remove your-freedom just to use Python and other development tools
> the standard, documented way.
> 
> I prefer how Trisquel and Guix simply ship without any proprietary
> software, and don't bother the user if they go away on their own to
> install proprietary programs.

Trisquel and Parabola are fine distrutions.

I don't consider Guix proper for average user, rather for programmers.
It is also not a distribution for the world, it is distribution for
developed world like Western countries. Further it is questionable if
Guix can ever comply to GPL requirements as it was not designed for
that, I think nobody of developers have ever bothered even to read the
GPL requirements. Issues are raised elsewhere. Example is that
published software packages don't have their corresponding sources.
When package is published online it has to have corresponding sources.

Guix, though FSDG endorsed, is not free distribution to me as it makes
it hard for users to copy sources including to copy binaries.
Questions raised on that issue went unanswered for last 5 years.

I suggest to everybody to read licenses as so I did back in 1999 and
each in a while including this year, I read licenses and I understand
requirements. 

Distribution is not necessarily free just because somebody says so.
And it is not free even just because it is FSDG endorsed.   



-- 
Jean

Take action in Free Software Foundation campaigns:
https://www.fsf.org/campaigns

In support of Richard M. Stallman
https://stallmansupport.org/