[Bug 178162] Review Request: libgeotiff

[Josh Boyer]

On Tue, 2006-10-31 at 12:33 +0100, Ralf Corsepius wrote:
> > 
> > OpenSource and Free Software are not the same thing. 
> Yes, but neither OpenSource nor Free Software are identical to the OSI
> definitions, nor are they identical to an individual's notion of "open",
> "free" or even "libre" - These all are political labels, which often are
> being abused.

Right, agreed.  So we'll not use them anymore in this discussion.
Moving on.

> Well, firstly. this is my personal experience, secondly one thing is a
> fact: The majority of OpenSource developers has a university/educational
> institution background.

Ok, my personal experience differs.  Let's move on from this too, since
it's really immaterial to the conversation.

> > Seriously, what benefit would it have?
> The same as FE has over 3rd party repositories:
> 
> Same server infrastructure, build system infrastructure, better package
> coordination/less package conflicts (c.f. Axel's complaint on zaptel and
> friends), same packaging standards, ...

The only thing I really see as a benefit is perhaps the same server
infrastructure.  Plague is open source, so a 3rd party repo can use that
just fine (I'm part of a local project that does).  The packaging
standards can be adopted by anyone.  Coordination/conflicts... only
because it would the become required for maintainers of FE which places
more steps on them.

> 
> The downside would be: Probably endless quarrels on "legality", more
> bureaucracy and ... "less freedom" :( 

Well, to paraphrase a conversation I had with a few people yesterday,
you have to draw the line somewhere.  The "no use restrictions" is a
reasonable one.

josh