Re: Providing an easy additional way of avoiding uploading non-redistributable packages

[Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost>]

David Holland <dholland-pkgtech%netbsd.org@localhost> writes:

> The problem I see with this is that it *looks* like it is a license
> filter (as in, it skips the license check only for packages whose
> license allows some form of redistribution) but it actually isn't. And
> that's bound to lead to a schmozzle eventually.
>
> So I don't think attaching it to SKIP_LICENSE_CHECK is a good idea.
>
> Wouldn't it be better to come up with a variable name that says what
> it actually does, something like SKIP_NONDISTRIBUTABLE_BINS=yes?

A fair point.

> (also, it should probably check NO_BIN_ON_CDROM as well, although I
> don't know why they'd be set differently except by accident...)

The difference between CDROM and FTP is that there is a notion that
someone might put a bunch of stuff on a CDROM and sell it for $20,
perhaps mailed, as a copying/hassle charge, whereas FTP is at no
charge.* Some licenses might permit no-cost FTP and don't permit
nomimal-copy charge CDROM, and I think there are such licenses in
pkgsrc.

* Yes, I realize someone could charge a subscription fee for an FTP
  service.

> (also I'm not sure if filtering these packages at build time is a good
> idea, it pretty much guarantees that they'll stop building eventually)

There are two separate questions:

  it would be nice if someone did bulk builds that included even
  non-distributable packages, so we'd notice, and fix or remove

  any given person doing builds might want to just ignore packages that
  have non-redistributable binaries, and I think that should be easily
  doable