Re: [fink-core] Running Octave from Fink?

[Alexander Hansen]

On 11/9/12 10:02 AM, Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso wrote:
> On 9 November 2012 11:59, Alexander Hansen <address@hidden> wrote:
>> Did you read the rest of what I wrote, where I said "the libraries, to
>> the best of my knowledge, *all come with the OS*"?
> 
> Yes, but the Xcode package you download from Apple, even if it's just
> "Xcode command-line tools" contains non-free headers you have to
> #include, correct? Otherwise, what is preventing us from
> redistributiing "Xcode command-line tools" and get a working free
> distribution?
> 
> - Jordi G. H.
> 

That's a different argument, though.  I was just pointing out that what
Fink, Macports, and Homebrew are doing should on the up-and-up with
respect to the GPL, since we don't insist on using non-free libraries
that _aren't_ part of the system.  We don't control how Apple handles
*their* stuff.  We just have to deal with it as part of the realm in
which we operate.

If there were a totally libre self-contained build tool set for OS X
somewhere, then there would likely be nothing mechanically in the way of
making e.g. a fork of Fink which completely avoids building against
Apple's proprietary stuff, and therefore wouldn't need Xcode.

And if Fink had the resources, most of our users would very much prefer
to work with precompiled binaries and not have to deal with building
packages and installing Xcode.  However, nobody's offering that to us.

-- 
Alexander Hansen, Ph.D.
Fink User Liaison
My package updates: http://finkakh.wordpress.com/