[Nix-dev] Automatic download option for "requireFile"

[Eelco Dolstra]

Hi,

On 22/02/15 19:51, Vladimír Čunát wrote:

> On 02/22/2015 11:26 AM, Tomasz Kontusz wrote:
>> Talking about laws: are there any guidelines about what software can go
>> into nixpkgs/can be distributed by hydra?
>> I know many distributions try to somehow separate the software illegal
>> in USA (mostly DRM-related/patented stuff).
> 
> Basically anything is accepted in nixpkgs, even non-redistributable stuff as you
> see (why else requireFile). 

FWIW, I'm fairly strongly against inclusion of any package that cannot be
installed automatically, i.e., anything that uses requireFile. The reason being
that if a package shows up in "nix-env -qa", then "nix-env -i <package>" should
Just Work.

There are some unfortunate historic exceptions (like the Oracle JDK) but we
should try not to proliferate them.

We probably also shouldn't include packages that require obtaining a license key
or something similar. I.e. packages should be usable by everybody.

-- 
Eelco Dolstra | LogicBlox, Inc. | http://nixos.org/~eelco/