Defining Free Software Business

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   >    What about classifying businesses according to the Debian
   >    guidelines (main, contrib and non-free)?
   >
   > This would undermine the goal of a Free Software Business and the
   > GNU Business Network.  This is also why e.g. Debian is not listed
   > as a recommended GNU/Linux system by the FSF and the GNU project
   > simply because Debian includes non-free software.

   And by debian merely not being listed, this subtle fact is hidden
   from most.  Let it have a weaker public listing to make its
   standing more clear; Let people know it has only 2nd level
   membership because it includes non-free software.

How about letting people know that it has no membership at all?

If you say `ok, here are businesses we allow in our network', then you
are saying in turn `we recommend these businesses and their
practises'.  If a practise is such that it is OK to support/develop
non-free software, then this undermines the whole goal of free
software.  It doesn't matter if you have a little note saying that
they are in category FOO or BAR.

   Maybe, but we will be promoting them because of (and in proportion
   to) the positive and free activities they undertake and not the
   non-free activities.

But they do non-free activities, thus you are promoting those
activities too.

Cheers.