Article: "Fixing linux" - opinions?

[Paul O'Malley - gnu's not unix -]

Noah Slater wrote:
> On Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 12:39:55AM +0000, Rui Miguel Silva Seabra wrote:
>> Yes, you can modify the artwork.
> 
> No, you cannot modify the artwork and redistribute.
> 
>> What does that have to do with:
>>  1. running the program for any purpose
>>  2. being able to study and modify it
>>  3. being able to distribute copies
>>  4. being able to distribute modified copies?
> 
> You can't distribute modified copies.
> 
>> All of those are allowed, so it is Free Software.
> 
> Wrong. Why is Firefox not in Debian main? Because it is non-free.

It is renamed as iceweasel for trademark reasons

the trademark reasoning goes as follows

If you change the work (art or code) then you must submit it to the 
mozilla organisation for approval, after all it is covered by their mark.

Debian wanted to be independent to change images and code, as asthetics 
and security patches arrived.

Debian is precluded from doing so and calling it FF.

Therefore at night the iceweasels come!

This is the issue at hand, nothing else from the Debian side, now .... 
if on the other hand you were the FSF.


 From the FSF perspective the promotion of non free plugins gets FF 
declared non free.

How simple is this matter really, very imo, but then I am kind of aware 
of all the angles. ;-)

Regards,

Paul