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List:       kwrite-devel
Subject:    Re: Non-free file in pate js_utils plugin
From:       "T.C. Hollingsworth" <tchollingsworth () gmail ! com>
Date:       2013-12-04 13:34:56
Message-ID: CAJVv0O=8zzMJUDKUnBYBLjxrFC9595uYL_VCbn-CK=77DKpffA () mail ! gmail ! com
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On Wed, Dec 4, 2013 at 5:13 AM, Philipp A. <flying-sheep@web.de> wrote:
> at first: i'll leave out that "arguably" stuff: debian and fedora decided
> that it's nonfree, and we want to be compatible with them,

Please don't just take our word for it.  The Free Software Foundation
lists "four freedoms" that are essential for software to be considered
"free": [1]

* The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
* The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does
your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a
precondition for this.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
* The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others
(freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance
to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a
precondition for this.

Fedora uses the FSF guidelines when evaluating software licenses.
Debian has their own guidelines [2] which are even more restrictive in
certain respects.

The JSON License violates freedom 0.  For software to be considered
free, you must be free to run it for ANY purpose.  No exceptions, even
for "evil".

Just like free speech wouldn't really be free if people are only
allowed to say things you agree with, free software can't really be
free if people are only allowed to use it for reasons you agree with.

The importance of this freedom is exemplified in how poorly defined
this license's use restriction is.  In the opinion of the license
author, eval() is evil [3], so one could interpret this as requiring
us to check everything this license is used with to make sure eval()
is not used.  How awful is that?

> so we treat it
> JSLint as if bill gates personally had written it, OK?

Actually, Bill Gates' minions do write acceptably free software from
time to time. [4]  ;-)

-T.C.

[1] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
[2] http://www.debian.org/social_contract
[3] http://javascript.crockford.com/code.html
[4] https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#ms-pl
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