Concern about Debian refusing the new license.

I'm very disappointed by the license change into the XFree86 project.

I don't want to go into deep discussion on how free is the new license, I 
think that the statement "The 1.1 license is not GPL-compatible" is bad 
enough to harm the project and the community.

The fact that many major GNU/Linux distibutions - Debian first of all - have 
not accepted the new 4.4 version is the first very bad consequence.

The XFree86 is a very precious helth for the community, but I hope that the 
community will not be pushed to follow you in a way that can hurt the 
community itself.

I think that XFree86 and the Free Software community must find a way to walk 
together. If a common way does not exists, no dubt for me where to go: the 
community is all, XFree86 is just a piece of it.

I also don't apreciate how the XFree86 web page "pushed" the words of Richard 
Stallman, trying to induce the reader into thinking that the new license is 
endorsed by the free software community: "...is fully free, .... RMS, has 
agreed with us on that one..."

I read the mail threads between Richard Stallman, David Dawes and others: the 
concern of RMS about the GPL incompatibility is clear and strong: "I will say 
that I don't like the license change" those are his words!

-- 
Niccolo Rigacci
Firenze - Italy

War against Iraq? Not in my name!