[Nix-dev] HYDRA_DISALLOW_UNFREE=1 allows to install the Linux kernel from kernel.org

[Shea Levy]

On 01/12/2013 11:25 AM, Nikita Karetnikov wrote:
>> HYDRA_DISALLOW_UNFREE was designed for our buildfarm, where "unfree" means "not
>> legally distributable". Since the kernel is legal to distribute despite the
>> binary firmware blobs (I assume that's your objection?), HYDRA_DISALLOW_UNFREE
>> will block it.
> "Linux, the kernel developed and distributed by Linus Torvalds et al,
> contains non-Free Software, i.e., software that does not respect your
> essential freedoms, and it induces you to install additional non-Free
> Software that it doesn't contain." [1]
>
>> In general, there's no automatic way to detect what is free and what is not,
>> especially considering people's different definitions. HYDRA_DISALLOW_UNFREE
>> depends on packagers specifying the license when they add an unfree package. If
>> someone were to take the time to add meta attributes to each package that is
>> free by their standards (or to every one that is not), it would be pretty easy
>> to then provide a way for them to ensure their system only has those packages,
>> but that initial work is not trivial.
> You're right.  I forgot to define the word "free."  Here is a definition
> [2] that I had in mind.
>
> Yes, it's not trivial, but still possible.

Sure, and if someone who cares about it does the work to mark the 
packages (or create a new set of packages that all meet those criteria), 
then nix could be set up to not install packages you don't want. Until 
then though, it's the individual user who will have to monitor the 
packages they install.

>    There is a list of free
> distros [3].
>
> Nikita
>
> [1] http://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/
> [2] https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
> [3] https://gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html