[gNewSense-users] bug #135

[crap0101]

Hi!
 about the bug 135 http://bugs.gnewsense.org/Bugs/00135 , i wrote the
FSF. Well, they answer me (look down for the mail) and that package
seems not free. 
What do you think? we can remove it? if yes, how?

thank,
marco

the FSF answer:
        ########################################################################
        Hi Marco,
        
                "These microcode data are placed under the terms of the
                GNU General Public License." 
        
        Ok, but the real question is, do they release an actual
        human-modifiable source file or is basically just numbers?  (A
        "binary blob".)  I expect the latter.  In which case it should
        not be in gnewsense regardless of its license.
        
                "We would prefer you not to distribute modified versions
                of it   and not to ask for assembly or other microcode
                source."
        
        Well, that is hardly friendly but since all it says here is
        "prefer" I suppose this paragraph is not a killer.
                
                 "Copyright (c) 1995-2000 FORE Systems, Inc., as an
                unpublished work. This  notice does not imply
                unrestricted or public access to these materials which
                are a trade secret of FORE Systems, Inc. or its
                subsidiaries or affiliates (together referred to as
                "FORE"), and which may not be reproduced, used, sold or
                transferred to any third party without FORE's prior
                written consent. All rights reserved."
        
        However, this greatly restrictive notice contradicts the first
        statement that it's under the GPL.  In such a case, I can't see
        how anything definitive can be said about the license -- all we
        can say is that it might be free, or it might not be free.  In
        such a case, it hardly seems like it is a candidate for any free
        software distribution. 
        
        The paragraph about government rights doesn't help anything
        either.
        
        
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