Bug#794116: www.debian.org/intro/free makes inappropriate claims about public domain software

Package: www.debian.org

A recent discussion on debian-devel has drawn attention to the text of the
page <https://www.debian.org/intro/free>, which says, in part:

   Truly free software is always free. Software that is placed in the public
   domain can be snapped up and put into non-free programs.  Any
   improvements then made are lost to society.  To stay free, software must
   be copyrighted and licensed.

Because this page is on the Debian website, it is being cited as if it were
an official statement of the Debian project.  But the above statement is not
a position that has ever been ratified by the Debian project; it is an
opinion of the author, and the author's name is not listed on this essay.

Please fix this page to either list the author, so that it does not appear
to be an official project position; or else please revise this webpage so
that it does not make controversial statements that are inconsistent with
the DFSG.

-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
[email protected]                                     [email protected]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1
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=FhdW
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----