[Nix-dev] Re: Porting NixOS

[Michael Raskin]

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Arie Middelkoop wrote:
>> Currently, Nixpkgs contains a fair amount of non-free software, some of
>> which gets installed by default.  I would personally like it if we would
>> gradually separate non-free software from free software in Nixpkgs, so
>> that users can more easily and clearly choose whether or not they want
>> to have non-free software installed.
> 
> Hmm, why would you want to mark software like that? For example, if I as
> a user want to install Skype, I just want to have it installed. What use
> is it for me if the system first says: "Sorry, Dave, can't do that. You
> first need to sign with your blood that you are not a true open source
> extremist"?

Having an automated way to easily find out/restrict set of licenses that
are allowed in the installation may be nice if:
1) you are building an image that you plan to redistribute
2) you are running a buildfarm with publicly available inary packages
3) you really do want to have a system clean of anything impossible to
inspect
4) you are maintaining FSF computer systems (or your organisation just
reviews all EULAs)
5) you _are_ a free software extremist

Not installing anything non-free _by_ _default_ means that anyone it
takes less effort to build a LiveDVD, include sources on it and know
that its distribution is not in conflict with what authors of included
packages intended for their works.

Default set of allowed licenses may be as well "no restrictions" - if
anyone wants to compete with gNewSense for GNU support, they will
maintain one-patch fork/branch with whatever license rules FSF/GNU/DFSG
require enforced, not a lot of extra effort.
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