CD software distribution
on our website, in addition to our existing
web service
offerings. As you might already know,
Darwin is not recognised as
free software by the
GNU Project. In order to avoid misinterpretation
in the name association GNU-Darwin, the following caveat will
accompany the disks, like the tobacco warning message.
- GNU Project considers Darwin non-free software and therefore
does not recommend the use of this operating system.
(see
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/apsl.html)
As we are expecting to sell thousands of these disks, the dissemination
of this message is likely to be widespread. Thus, it may be worthwhile
at this time for the
Darwin
commmunity to bring the
APSL in line with
the
free
software expectations of gnu.org, and to shun hurtful
DMCA-based legal actions,
so that such caveats will be unnecessary in the
future.
GNU-Darwin aims to be a free Darwin distribution, but this goal is
hindered by certain onerous provisions of the APSL, which it turn forces
the inclusion of this caveat.
Many
thousand free software applications
have been ported to Darwin, and
much productive work
has been done, but
if no one learns the
values which bring
that software to them, then it
is a wasted effort indeed. We hope that the Darwin community can find
the will to have a
free
APSL, which truly adheres to the free software
definition.
Link: gnu-darwin.org
