Notes on non-free packages in Debian Edu

We prefer packages licensed according to the DFSG, but some times there are no alternative to providing non-free packages in Debian Edu.

List of non-free packages on the DVD is available at the end of the needs love page for Lenny.

Evaluated packages, OK to include

etoys etoys-doc

QA info

For etoys and etoys-doc José Rodríguez report there's no legal problem. The packages have free licenses, but are kept in Debian non-free because it's impossible (up to now) bootstrap them from sources, due to the special way smalltalk images work.

firmware-bnx2

is ok to distribute

firmware-bnx2x

is ok to distribute

firmware-ipw2x00

is ok to distribute

firmware-iwlwifi

is ok to distribute

firmware-qlogic

is ok to distribute

is ok to distribute

Evaluated packages, not OK to include

libjogl-java libjogl-jni

see below. (those are nonfree libs which worldwind depends on.)

additional note: libjogl-java in squeeze is free software! yay!

libworldwind-java worldwind

worldwind depends on nonfree java which we dont want on our CDs, thus I've stop trying to make sense out of the NASA licence for worldwind. libjogl-java probably deserves an RC bug, because /u/s/d/libjogl-java doesnt contain the full copyrigt, narf. (http://oss.sgi.com/projects/FreeB is only refered but not included.). libjogl-jni is just another binary from he same source. I recommend to remove worldwind from the cd (it's not useful without java and without network access anyway). worldwind seems to rock, though :)

sun-java5-bin sun-java5-jre sun-java5-plugin

QA info

see below :)

sun-java6-bin sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin

QA info

The packages would be nice to have to get a working java browser plugin, but the installation require interactive acceptance of the non-free license. We avoid the package to avoid having to present the question to the admins when they install Debian Edu.

eagle eagle-data

QA info

eagle almost looks good to distribute, but then not really as distributors are asked to

eagle seems good to, except:

        * Make it clear that this is a Freeware Light edition of a
          commercial product, and as such may only be used for
          non-commercial or evaluation purposes.

and I don't think we are doing this.

I'm also not sure how useful eagle is, "The usable board area is limited to 100 x 80 mm (4 x 3.2 inches)." (though bigger boards can be loaded) and I dislike the need to run this programm as root once.

Packages yet to evaluate

icc-profiles, last checked 2012-01-01.