Re: Ballot option: Debian is created by humans

Gard Spreemann <[email protected]> Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:18:20 +0200

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Message-ID	<[email protected]>

Marc Haber <[email protected]> writes:

> Hi,
>
> On Thu, Aug 13, 2026 at 12:40:07PM +0200, Gard Spreemann wrote:
>>Could you explain a bit what the backstory here is, for those of us who
>>haven't been around that long?
>
> https://www.debian.org/vote/2004/vote_003
>
> Back in 2004, we voted on something that was harmlessly titled "Editorial
> amendments to the social contract" and sounded like it would make very much
> sense, clarifying things without making big changes ot the status quo.
>
> The GR had just two options and was given the nod with a 174:39 result.
>
> But it wasn't harmless at all. It extended the DFSG that applied to software
> only before to everything that was part of Debian. Hours after the result was
> published, people who value a non-running OS that is absolutely free more than a
> pragmatic approach by keeping the software running opened bottles of champaign
> and began efforts to get evil things like RFC texts and non-free firmware that
> was already needed back then to run unimportant pieces of hardware like
> mainstream Wifi interfaces from Deban proper.
>
> The resulting avalanche of suddenly RC-buggy packages delayed the release of
> Debian sarge for about a year, caused huge friction inside the project and
> brought us the non-free firmware discussion that negatively influenced our
> software quality and ease of installation for 20 years before we finally started
> making sense again.
>
> Ubuntu had its first release half a year after that GR and was able to pull a
> significant number of our users away from us in the following years, due to
> their running everywhere and us not releasing sarge.
>
> Since then, I always read all of the fine print of every GR that is proposed,
> examining it carefully for hidden bombs like that one. This will also be the
> reason why I will vote most of the ballot options below NOTA this time.
>
> Once bitten, twice shy.

Thank you for this summary. I much appreciate it!

 Best,
 Gard

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