Package: ftp.debian.org Severity: important Hey,
Someone recently brought to my attention https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=972181 and the corresponding meeting notes at http://meetbot.debian.net/debian-ftp/2020/debian-ftp.2020-03-13-20.02.html. These notes claim that OpenSSL can be treated as a system library for the purposes of the GPLv2, like Fedora does. Unfortunately, I believe the license is very clear and it doesn't agree. From the GPL version 2: For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the executable. Note the phrase "unless that component itself accompanies the executable." It's long been my interpretation, as with other contributors, that this applies to distribution from the same mirror archive. In any event, it's obvious that it applies to the same distribution medium, and Debian ships DVD and disk images from its infrastructure. There have been numerous arguments on debian-devel in the past about support for dpkg linked against a Solaris-derived libc for Nextenta OS in which copyright holders have upheld this policy. I'd like to ask you to reconsider this decision at your earliest convenience and update the bug report. I will follow up with Fedora separately and ask them to update their policy as well. I ask this of you not only as an on-and-off contributor to Debian, but also as a copyright holder in numerous pieces of software in Debian, both GPL and non-GPL. One of the things I've long appreciated about Debian has been its focus on doing the right thing with regard to licensing, and I think this misses the mark there. -- brian m. carlson (he/him or they/them) Houston, Texas, US
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