[Nix-dev] Re: Porting NixOS

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hello,

Arie Middelkoop <ariem at cs.uu.nl> writes:

> Ludovic Courtès 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"?

Nobody proposed the removal of non-free packages from Nixpkgs; what I
suggested is to have the *ability* to ask Nix to not install non-free
packages, such that one doesn't have to manually check each package's
license (as is currently the case).

Note that I'm not concerned about "open source", but about "free"
software, as in "free speech":

  http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html
  http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Thanks,
Ludo'.