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Debian Can Now Amend Social Contract, DFSG

Posted by michael on from the constitutional-convention dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Debian Project, creators of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution, has voted to allow amendments to their Social Contract and Free Software Guidelines, as long as the developers agree with a 3:1 majority. The full text of the various amendments can be found in the original call for votes. Debian developer and XFree86 packager Branden Robinson has already proposed an amendment to the Social Contract that removes the requirement to maintain an archive for non-free software or "contrib" software (free software that depends on non-free software to work). Debian could still maintain this archive, but would no longer be required to do so. The proposal also updates the Social Contract to clearly require all works in Debian to meet the Debian Free Software Guidelines, not just software, which had come up repeatedly in the discussions over the non-free "GNU Free Documentation Licence". Both of these updates have been under consideration for some time, but were waiting on the ratification of the amendment procedure. The Debian Project voted on this amendment using their modified Condorcet voting procedure, which allows voters to rank the choices in order of preference, eliminating the "lesser of two evils" effect common to simple majority voting."

3 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. Heh... by devphaeton · · Score: 4, Funny

    All this licensing stuff is turning into government with constitutions, amendments, and elections.

    I wonder if this scratches a subconscious need that was previously fulfilled by the complex gameplay of DnD and RPGs that many geeks did as kids?

    I don't want politics, i want software!

    (all in jest, of course)

    --


    do() || do_not(); // try();
  2. good idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    now maybe they can get together and vote on taking a shower sometime before the next stable release...

  3. Re:Just one more reason to stay away from Debian.. by cK-Gunslinger · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ok, I'll be fair.. I have woody on my laptop.

    [SNL] "Tommy, dude, tell me you got that on tape!" [/SNL] =P