i know that i can download it, install it, do what ever i want with that.
but "free software" is a complex term. 'fedora core' for example is not
"free software" beacuse some packges are copyrighted. debian on the other
hand, is completly free. so, what about slack?

Moti <skinblues@gmail.com> writes:
> i know that i can download it, install it, do what ever i want with that.
> but "free software" is a complex term. 'fedora core' for example is not
> "free software" beacuse some packges are copyrighted.

(almost) all programs that come with your average linux distro are
copyrighted. it's the license that they are released under that determines
whether they are considered "free" or not.

> debian on the other
> hand, is completly free. so, what about slack?

first read up on what "free" means according to the FSF and GNU
Foundation: <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html>. then go and
check slackware's packages to see whether the four freedoms mentioned
apply to them. they do to most, but there may be a few non-free packages
that come with slack.

--
Joost Kremers
Verbing weirds language -- Calvin

Moti wrote:
> i know that i can download it, install it, do what ever i want with that.
> but "free software" is a complex term. 'fedora core' for example is not
> "free software" beacuse some packges are copyrighted. debian on the other
> hand, is completly free. so, what about slack?

Not entirely no, KDE needs QT, which is not free software. As far as I
know, that is the only non-free software Slackware includes in the
distribution.

0versight <0versight@nospam.unixsphere.net> writes:
> Not entirely no, KDE needs QT, which is not free software.

sorry, but that is very old news. TrollTech has since long been
distributing QT under two different open-source licenses:
<http://www.trolltech.com/products/licensing.html>.

--
Joost Kremers
Verbing weirds language -- Calvin

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0versight wrote:
> Moti wrote:
>
>> i know that i can download it, install it, do what ever i want with
>> that.
>> but "free software" is a complex term. 'fedora core' for example is not
>> "free software" beacuse some packges are copyrighted. debian on the other
>> hand, is completly free. so, what about slack?
>
>
> Not entirely no, KDE needs QT, which is not free software.

It depends on your interpretation. IIRC, QT's licence is 'free for
educational/home use', which is free enough for some.

> As far as I
> know, that is the only non-free software Slackware includes in the
> distribution.

Pat V. also includes the XV image manipulation program, which is "shareware"
(see it's licence doc, or startup splash).

- --
Lew Pitcher
IT Consultant, Enterprise Data Systems,
Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group

(Opinions expressed are my own, not my employers')
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On 2004-12-10, 0versight <0versight@nospam.unixsphere.net> wrote:

> As far as I
> know, that is the only non-free software Slackware includes in the
> distribution.

Some people would consider Netscape non-free.

--keith

--
kkeller-usenet@wombat.san-francisco.ca.us
(try just my userid to email me)
AOLSFAQ=http://wombat.san-francisco.ca.us/cgi-bin/fom

Keith Keller wrote:

> On 2004-12-10, 0versight <0versight@nospam.unixsphere.net> wrote:
>
>> As far as I
>> know, that is the only non-free software Slackware includes in the
>> distribution.
>
> Some people would consider Netscape non-free.

QT is free (as in GPL free), netscape + the included flash plugin and the
java sdk (which is distributable) are the only non-free Slackware packages
on the official CDs.... the only that I can remember

--
damjan

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 18:48:33 +0100, Damjan wrote:
> QT is free (as in GPL free), netscape + the included flash plugin and the
> java sdk (which is distributable) are the only non-free Slackware packages
> on the official CDs.... the only that I can remember

Add XV and Pine to that (well, Pine is quasi-free .

-- Daniel

On 2004-12-10, Daniel de Kok espoused the following:
> On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 18:48:33 +0100, Damjan wrote:
>> QT is free (as in GPL free), netscape + the included flash plugin and the
>> java sdk (which is distributable) are the only non-free Slackware packages
>> on the official CDs.... the only that I can remember
>
> Add XV and Pine to that (well, Pine is quasi-free .
>
> -- Daniel
Unless it has changed lpr is the dreaded postcard ware ;-)

Scott Cole

--
Only trust pipesmoking penguins.

> first read up on what "free" means according to the FSF and GNU
> Foundation: <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html>. then go and
> check slackware's packages to see whether the four freedoms mentioned
> apply to them. they do to most, but there may be a few non-free packages
> that come with slack.

So, if there are non-free packages with Slackware, why isn't anyone
complaining? Maybe they have become free simply by mass usage, not legally
but technically. And there is always the ego-boost for the authors.
JB