[hackmeeting] Fw: Clarification about distribution terms on the software

[Javier]

Mira, me ha llegado esto de la lista de desarrolladores de SELinux, hablando
de debian y de SELinux...

----- Original Message -----
From: "Manoj Srivastava" <manoj.srivastava en stdc.com>
To: <selinux en tycho.nsa.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 7:28 PM
Subject: Clarification about distribution terms on the software


> Hi,
> [This is a repost from the address I am subscribed with, and
> hence some people on the internal list shall see this as a
> duplicate. I apologize for the inconvenience]
>
>          A number of developers for the Debian Project
(http://www.debian.org/)
>   have expressed an interest in rolling in a kernel-patch-selinux
>   package, for inclusion in the Debian GNU?Linux distribution.
>
>   The criteria for inclusion of a package in the project are
>   defined by the ``Debian Free Software Guidelines'' contained in the
>   ``Social Contract'' (http://www.debian.org/social_contract).
>
>   The initial impressions were good: The License terms at
>   http://www.nsa.gov/selinux/license.html makes it very clear that the
>   license terms are DFSG compliant.
>
>   The confusion arises as one tries to download the sources, and
>   is presented with  http://www.nsa.gov/selinux/src-disclaim.html; one
>   is now required to agree to a legal agreement (I am not a lawyer, it
>   seems to be a restatement of the standard lack of warranty
>   clauses. However, I am not a lawyer).
>
>   One of the questions that arise from this is: Whom does the
>   NSA want this agreement from? Me, as a packager, the Debian Project,
>   as the distributor, or the end user of the software who is going to
>   install it on their machines, and may be impacted by any flaws in the
>   process of doing so?  If indeed the end user agreement is required,
>   SELinux would not meet the DFSG.
>
>   Arguably, since the software itself is licensed under the GPL,
>   on may, after downloading the software, further redistribute it as
>   provided for by the GPL.
>
>   However, Debian is not in the business of not adhering to
>   upstream author wishes, and we would like to honour the intent, as
>   opposed to the letter, of the license.  Given that, the simplest
>   process was to come to the horses mouth and ask the authors what
>   their intent when putting a click-through legal agreement (which may
>   well be binding in the state where jurisdiction lies) on the software
>   download? Is agreement of the end users required, or is this only for
>   the initial download?
>
>   manoj
>
> --
>  No animal should ever jump on the dining room furniture unless
>  absolutely certain he can hold his own in conversation. Fran Lebowitz
> Manoj Srivastava   <manoj.srivastava en stdc.com>    <srivasta en debian.org>
> 1024R/C7261095 print CB D9 F4 12 68 07 E4 05  CC 2D 27 12 1D F5 E8 6E
> 1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B  924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C
>
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