Re: [proposal] templates without official binaries

[reback00 <reback00@users.noreply.github.com>]

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New comment by reback00 on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/25901#issuecomment-719959943

Comment:
@hippi777 
> (btw i saw on the way that the ryf cert has even more crazy requirements, like the nonfree repo couldnt even exists...

Well, [RYF](https://ryf.fsf.org/) is for libre hardware and [FSDG](http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html) is for Free/libre distros. So, I think you're referring to FSDG.

Yes. That's true. FSDG has many strict rules. Those are to ensure that packages remain "pure". There are so much telemetries, nonfree advertisements pointing to other apps + plugins and nonfree dependencies within the packages we use, that GNU had to be this strict to ensure distros and their packages are truely respecting our freedom and privacy. Even Linux kernel has become somewhat poisonous. Hyperbola went so far as to wanting to [develop their own BSD system](https://www.hyperbola.info/news/announcing-hyperbolabsd-roadmap/) in order to escape the issues with Linux kernel and the current state of FOSS licensing and nonfree dependencies.

However, in the current state of Void it is impossible that it can be accepted as libre. Even Fedora and Debian which do not have repos with proprietary packages enabled by default, were [refused](https://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.html) because their default repo has some nonfree parts or they host the nonfree repo on their own server.

So, in order to get Void to be FSDG approved there has to be a massive undertaking of sorts, like:
- totally deleting `restricted` repo from server and system as if it does not exist,
- cleaning up existing packages and removing packages from main repo that can't be liberated ever,
- getting rid of `linux` kernel and only offering `linux-libre` kernel,
- changing documentations and every text to erase everything related to nonfree things (unless criticizing nonfree options),
- and there could be more things to take care of?!

@drake-newell started a [project](https://github.com/ymir-linux/void-packages) to create linux-libre kernel packages for Void. Then I joined him to contribute on "liberating" nonfree packages. As much as I understand Drake and myself, we would really be happy if we could include these packages on Void's ecosystem. We came to know that [due to resource limitations](https://www.reddit.com/r/voidlinux/comments/g3v6hl/linuxlibre_kernel_built_with_xbpssrc/fnwex2y/) custom kernels (like linux-libre) can't be accepted. Drake didn't want to create a separate project, but he had to, because how much of the package we had to liberate + custom kernel had to be kept separate. We are still friends to, and grateful to the Void Linux community.

> rejected stuffs like kernel variants (like libre/xanmod/zen), browsers etc

If you mean you want to have libre packages to be available on a Void repo, I think this would be a great idea. A separate `libre` (or some other chosen name) repo can be created. Packages with [minor issues](https://github.com/ymir-linux/void-packages/issues/8) can be there with liberated versions of them. It can be a bunch of patches over the existing srcpkgs specifying the changes to be applied on templates and files in order to liberate them. This way we can eliminate the need to merge changes from master everytime a change comes. I think this is doable.

This will not be a 100% FSDG compliance by any means, but it would be a step in the right direction. People will be able to enjoy "reasonable freedom" on their Void system.