[Mageia-dev] Mageia repository sections, licenses, restrictions, firmware etc

Tue Oct 12 17:02:38 CEST 2010

Hi all!
+
+Do people have any thoughts on what kind of repository/media sectioning we 
+should use on Mageia, and what should those sections contain?
+
+Note that I won't talk about backports / private repositories in this post, 
+only about the basic sectioning and packages in those.
+
+Some points to consider (I've written my opinion in ones where I have one):
+
+== Do we want a separated core repository?
+
+No separated core: Fedora, Debian, Opensuse
+Separated core: Mandriva (main), Ubuntu (main), Arch (Core)
+
+
+== What will be officially supported?
+
+ - And what does that mean?
+
+
+== How are the sections named? :)
+
+I think I'm in favor of renaming 'contrib' to 'extra'.
+
+
+== Where do redistributable firmware go (Radeon graphics, Intel WLAN, TG3 
+ethernet, etc)?
+
+To main repository: Arch, Fedora, Opensuse, Ubuntu
+To the non-free repository: Debian
+Case-by-case arbitrary decision: Mandriva
+
+If we want to separate non-free firmware à la Debian, I guess one option would 
+be a separate firmware repository... or we could make free-only installation 
+an expert option. Certainly we want tg3 ethernet and radeon to work on a 
+standard installation, and for this we really need the firmware.
+
+I'd probably prefer to put them in main (as all non-Debian ones) but do some 
+metapackage magic (or similar) to allow blacklisting them easily for those who 
+want to.
+
+
+== Where do firmware without license go (DVB, V4L, etc)?
+
+To unsupported non-free repository: Ubuntu (multiverse) [1],
+To unsupported repository without binary packages: Arch (AUR)
+Nowhere: Debian, Fedora, Opensuse, Mandriva
+
+I guess for this one I'd prefer a helper draktool to handle/download these 
+instead of shipping them ourselves.
+
+
+== What about patents?
+
+Almost no software with patents: Fedora, Opensuse
+ - Essentially no media codecs except theora/vorbis/ogg/vp8 etc.
+ - Strange exception: libXft, Cairo and Qt4 are shipped with LCD filtering
+   support enabled, even if it is disabled in freetype
+
+No software with enforced patents: Debian
+ - not included (at least): x264 (encoder), lame mp3 (encoder)
+ - included (at least): MPEG/x decoders, H.264 decoders, MP3 decoders,
+   AAC decoders, AMR decoders, DTS decoders, AC3 decoders,
+   WMV/WMA decoders, realvideo decoders, etc
+
+Some software covered by patents not included: Mandriva
+ - see below for more information
+
+All software covered by patents allowed: Arch, Ubuntu
+
+
+IMO we should alter our policy to match either Fedora, Debian or Ubuntu.. The 
+Mandriva policy makes no sense (for example, no AAC decoder but yes for H.264 
+decoder and MPEG-4 encoder?).
+I'm really not sure which way we should go, though. WDYT?
+
+
+== If we choose a separate core repository, should we do something regarding
+   OOo and java?
+(there are a million java packages with tight interdependencies, and due to 
+OOo requiring some of those, we need to ship the whole web in main)
+
+
+== Do we allow P2P file transfer software?
+
+Yes: Arch, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu
+No, except torrents: Mandriva
+Unknown, at least torrents allowed: Opensuse
+
+
+== And gaming emulators?
+
+Allowed: Arch, Debian, Ubuntu
+Mostly no, but at least fuse-emulator is shipped: Fedora
+Unknown, but lots of them are in OBS 'Emulators' project (unofficial but in 
+official mirrors): Opensuse
+No, but at least zsnes is shipped: Mandriva
+
+
+== And DVDCSS, etc?
+Allowed: Arch
+Not allowed: Debian, Fedora, Mandriva, Opensuse, Ubuntu
+
+This should probably be 'no'.
+
+
+============ Mandriva sectioning ===========
+=== main
+Contains:
+ - packages that are officially supported, with security updates handled by
+   the security team
+
+Restrictions:
+ - packages can only depend or builddepend on packages in main itself
+ - packages need to have an open source license
+   o unwritten exception: various non-free but distributable firmware (see
+     kernel-firmware), for example radeon firmware and TG3 ethernet firmware
+     are included despite their license; the selection is arbitrary
+ - packages can't be covered by patents
+
+   o unwritten exception: most patented codecs are shipped
+
+     - these are the patented codecs that are *not* shipped:
+       o official xvid encoder and decoder (another encoder and decoder is
+         shipped in main ffmpeg)
+       o libdca DTS decoder (another decoder is shipped in main ffmpeg)
+       o lame MP3 encoder (decoders are shipped in libmad and ffmpeg)
+       o any AAC decoders and encoders
+       o x264 H.264 encoder (decoder is shipped in main ffmpeg)
+       o opencore AMR decoders and encoders
+     (Note: I may have missed some insignificant ones)
+
+     - all other patented codecs are shipped (including H.264 decoder,
+       MPEG-2 decoders and encoders, MPEG-4 decoders and encoders,
+       MP3 decoders, DTS decoder, AC-3 encoder/decoder, VC-1 decoder,
+       WMV/WMA decoders, realvideo decoders)  (I didn't recheck the patent
+       status one-by-one, but this is the AFAIK situation)
+
+   o as with Opensuse and Fedora, MDV has LCD filtering in libXft, Qt4, Cairo
+
+ - packages can't break effective DRM (DVD CSS, AACS..)
+ - p2p packages are not allowed, except torrent clients
+ - gaming emulators that use rom files are not allowed
+
+=== contrib
+Contains:
+ - those packages not in main
+
+Restrictions:
+ - same as main, except that packages can depend on other packages in contrib
+   as well
+
+=== non-free
+Contains:
+ - those packages not in main or contrib
+   o including most firmware files, for e.g. WLAN cards
+Restrictions:
+ - same as contrib, except that only redistribution license is required, and
+   packages can depend on other packages in non-free
+
+
+============ Ubuntu sectioning ===========
+== Main
+Contains:
+ - packages that are fully supported
+Restrictions:
+ - can't depend on outside packages (AFAIK)
+ - applications and drivers need to be free software
+   (non-free redistributable "documentation, images, sounds, video clips and
+    firmware" are allowed "on a case-by-case basis";
+    in practice all firmware is shipped as long it is redistributable)
+ - packages can't break effective DRM (DVD CSS, AACS..)
+ - must not require royalty payments
+   o apparently patents are an unwritten exception..
+
+== Restricted
+Contains:
+ - non-free packages that are officially supported
+ - it contains the minimal amount of packages, currently only:
+   bcmwl, fglrx, lpia, nvidia, sl-modem
+
+== Universe
+Contains:
+ - packages without guaranteed security updates
+Restrictions:
+ - same license policy as Main
+
+== Multiverse
+Contains:
+ - packages without guaranteed security updates that do not qualify
+   for Universe (including firmware with unknown license)
+
+== Partner repository
+Contains:
+ - unspecified 3rd party packages
+ - contains sun java, adobe flash, skype, realplayer, etc.
+Not mirrored in normal mirrors (redistribution outside Ubuntu is probably not 
+allowed for some packages).
+
+
+============ Debian sectioning ===========
+== Main
+ - packages that are open source
+
+== Contrib
+ - open source packages that depend on non-free packages
+
+== Non-Free
+ - packages that are non-free but redistributable
+
+
+============ Fedora/Opensuse sectioning ===========
+Single repository, see the beginning of message for restrictions.
+
+Opensuse seems to have a semi-official 'Contrib' repository nowadays,
+though it doesn't seem to be precisely specified what goes there:
+http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Contrib
+It is apparently less official than e.g. Mandriva's 'contrib' or Ubuntu's
+'universe', though.
+
+============ Arch sectioning ===========
+
+== Core
+ - Core packages (basesystem only, no X.org, etc)
+
+== Extra
+ - Other official packages
+
+== Community
+ - Voted and reviewed packages from Unsupported (below).
+
+== Unsupported
+ - User submitted packages
+ - No binary packages. (users must build them themselves)
+
+
+[1] http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs/pool/multiverse/l/linux-firmware-
+nonfree/linux-firmware-nonfree_1.8/linux-firmware-nonfree.copyright
+
+-- 
+Anssi Hannula
+