[gobolinux-users] Firefox up to date

[MJ Ray]

Sean Russell <gobo at ser1.net> wrote:
> On Friday 28 July 2006 13:00, MJ Ray wrote:
> > Why include an unmodifiable Firefox browser when we can include
> > a free software Firefox browser?
> 
> Well... because users may not want to compile Firefox themselves.  

So why are those users running Compile then?

I can see some argument for having *-Binary-Installer packages
and recipes that build the installer (if need be), but I can't
see why on earth they should be misnamed as Compile recipes
and so hinder production of free software packages.

> [...] If there's somebody willing to do it, and the 
> end result is a binary I can download, then fine.  Otherwise, somebody 
> at Mozilla is already doing that hard work, and I'm fine with using 
> their builds.

If we can agree which features should be included in these builds,
I'm quite happy to run the computer here for a few hours to build
each new Firefox for the forseeable.  I didn't realise that gobo
was short of builders.

> > software, but why include non-free software that's based on
> > free software and almost identical to it? 8-/
> 
> Why not include the non-free software?  Why not include both?  Isn't the 
> point about freedom, including the freedom to enslave yourself?

As the saying goes: my belief in your freedom to swing your
arm stops at the end of my nose.  I will not stop you enslaving
yourself, but I want it clearly labelled as slavery and not
hindering the usual free market, so that anyone who follows
you can make a free choice.

> Let us please not become another Debian.  Lord, sometimes I just want to 
> *use* the software.

Debian is pragmatic idealism.  Software is not useful when it's
broken.  When it's buggy, it can be worse than useless: harmful.
Speed and ease of bugfix is a very good thing and unmodifiable
large software like Firefox-official is slow and awkward for
users to bugfix, requiring a new download of the whole thing,
maybe including parts they won't even install.

Hope that explains,
-- 
MJ Ray - see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
North End, Lynn, Norfolk, England
Work: http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
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