Bug 1127

Summary: Review request: ailurus - makes Linux easier to use
Product: Package Reviews Reporter: Homer Xing <homer.xing>
Component: Review RequestAssignee: RPM Fusion Package Review <rpmfusion-package-review>
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX    
Severity: normal CC: dtimms, hobbes1069, homer.xing, rpmfusion-package-review
Priority: P5    
Version: Current   
Hardware: All   
OS: GNU/Linux   
namespace:

Description Homer Xing 2010-03-22 02:23:04 CET
Dear all,

I have a review request.

Spec: http://github.com/homerxing/Ailurus/raw/master/ailurus.spec

SRPM: http://ailurus.googlecode.com/files/ailurus-10.03.2-1.src.rpm

Description:
Ailurus is an application which makes Linux easier to use.
Its features
* Help users study some Linux skills
* Install/remove some nice applications
* Enable/disable some third party repositories
* Display information about BIOS, motherboard, CPU and battery
* Show/Hide Computer, Home folder, Trash icon and Network icon on desktop
* Configure Nautilus thumbnail cache
* Configure Nautilus context menu
* Configure Window behavior
* Configure GNOME auto-start applications
* Show/Hide GNOME splash screen

Why this package is not eligible:
This package is not eligible to be included in Fedora. Because it can enable third party repositories, such as Adobe repository. Tom Callaway <tcallawa AT redhat.com> replys:
" This isn't going to pass the FE-Legal check. We cannot include anything
in the Fedora repositories that points to these third party repositories, this
crosses the line from information to contributory infringement. "
See https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=553615

rpmlint:
rpmlint is silent on SPEC and SRPM.

About me:
I am not an RPM Fusion sponsored packager, and I am seeking a sponsor. This is my first RPM fusion package. I hope to receive advice. Thank you very much!

Best regards,
Homer
Comment 1 Kevin Kofler 2010-03-22 23:57:53 CET
The Adobe repo isn't the biggest issue as far as Fedora is concerned (that one is just a policy issue, not a legal issue), RPM Fusion and Livna (and ATrpms to some extent) are.

BTW, is something pointing to Livna (and thus libdvdcss) even welcome in RPM Fusion?
Comment 2 Kevin Kofler 2010-03-23 00:01:52 CET
(FWIW, I personally consider such apps to be entirely counterproductive, as they actively promote proprietary software, which I consider to be counter to our goals and teaching entirely the wrong thing to our users, especially as the program claims to be "helping" them, when in fact it's only helping proprietary software vendors erode their freedoms. Yes, I personally consider the policy issue to be more serious than the legal ones.)
Comment 3 Homer Xing 2010-03-23 01:31:26 CET
(In reply to comment #2)
> (FWIW, I personally consider such apps to be entirely counterproductive, as
> they actively promote proprietary software, which I consider to be counter to
> our goals and teaching entirely the wrong thing to our users, especially as the
> program claims to be "helping" them, when in fact it's only helping proprietary
> software vendors erode their freedoms. Yes, I personally consider the policy
> issue to be more serious than the legal ones.)
> 

Dear Kevin, 

Thank you very much for advice!

I agree that Ailurus injured the users' freedom, and it tells proprietary software thing to users. 

Nevertheless I believe that the developers don't want to do that on purpose. 

The developers will correct the mistake soon.
Comment 4 Homer Xing 2010-03-29 15:04:45 CEST
(In reply to comment #2)
> (FWIW, I personally consider such apps to be entirely counterproductive, as
> they actively promote proprietary software, which I consider to be counter to
> our goals and teaching entirely the wrong thing to our users, especially as the
> program claims to be "helping" them, when in fact it's only helping proprietary
> software vendors erode their freedoms. Yes, I personally consider the policy
> issue to be more serious than the legal ones.)
> 

Dear Kevin Kofler,

Ailurus developers (including me) do not wish to promote proprietary software, or injure users' freedom. Therefore they completely deleted all proprietary stuff.

They made these changes:
* Change SUN_JDK to OpenJDK.
* Change VirtualBox to VirtualBox-ose.
* Remove Dropbox.
* Remove repositories which provides non-open-source software only.
* Remove Livna repository.
* Remove ATrpms repository.
* Change Adobe Flash plugin to Gnash.
* Remove Adobe Reader.
* Remove Realplayer.
* Remove Skype.
* Change Chrome to Chromium.
* Remove Native 64bit Flash plugin. 

Would you please re-consider it again? Thank you very much!

New Spec: http://github.com/homerxing/Ailurus/raw/master/ailurus.spec

New SRPM: http://homerxing.fedorapeople.org/ailurus-10.03.4-1.src.rpm

New RPM: http://homerxing.fedorapeople.org/ailurus-10.03.4-1.noarch.rpm

rpmlint: silent on SPEC and SRPM.

koji: built successfully. See http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/taskinfo?taskID=2081157

Comment 5 David Timms 2010-04-06 00:08:18 CEST
(In reply to comment #4)
> * Remove repositories which provides non-open-source software only.
> * Remove Livna repository.
> * Remove ATrpms repository.
Hi Homer,

I'm pretty sure that messing with people's software repository configuration is not acceptable in a package. (I haven't taken a look at how this was achieved in this package).

An example why this might be bad: eg user installs package A from (removed repo), that requires current versions of libraries. They then install this package, which disables the repo. Fedora offers security patches for the libs that package A requires (specific version). Now the user can never successfully update to the security fixed packages because yum sees that the installed package would break.

ps. I haven't performed a normal review.
Comment 6 Homer Xing 2010-04-06 16:59:28 CEST
> Hi Homer,
> 
> I'm pretty sure that messing with people's software repository configuration is
> not acceptable in a package. (I haven't taken a look at how this was achieved
> in this package).
> 
> An example why this might be bad: eg user installs package A from (removed
> repo), that requires current versions of libraries. They then install this
> package, which disables the repo. Fedora offers security patches for the libs
> that package A requires (specific version). Now the user can never successfully
> update to the security fixed packages because yum sees that the installed
> package would break.
> 
> ps. I haven't performed a normal review.
> 

Dear David,

You are right. Installing a package from third-party repository will lock down the versions of libraries, for example, when the maintainer of the third-party repository forgets to upgrade the package. 

However, I have not found out a solution yet. Should I completely remove all third-party repositories from Ailurus?

Best regards,
Homer
Comment 7 Homer Xing 2010-04-24 16:15:19 CEST
Dear all,

   New upstream version of Ailurus has released. It cannot install any third party repositories, or closed source software. This package is eligible now. Therefore I close this bug.

   Thank you very much for reviewing!

   Best regards,
   Homer Xing