> However, if Debian automatically installs these from the web, then
> it is effectively including them in the distribution. That seems
> strange to me.
The Debian msttcorefonts package is not installed by default. In
order to get the MS core fonts, the user must:
- make a conscious decision to install this optional package;
- say ``yes'' to a question asked by the installer;
- after the download, agree to the Microsoft licence.
> Presumably, the each distribution should be clean, in the sense that
> it should only include material that falls under the license used by
> that distribution.
Debian is split into three parts:
- main, which is entirely DFSG-free;
- non-free, which contains things that are freely redistribuable but
not DFSG-free;
- contrib, which is itself DFSG-free but might depend on non-free
components.
The msttcorefonts package is in contrib. It would not be suitable for
inclusion into main.
> Why shouldn' t Debian just include the fonts in the distribution?
In the Debian community, using the Debian infrastructure (ftp mirrors,
Debian CDs, etc.) is frowned upon. Making a net-based installer for
these fonts allows easy access to them without however using the
Debian infrastructure for distributing non-free software.
I believe that from a legal point of view, it should be okay to
distribute these fonts (in the form of Microsoft cabinet files) as
part of your distribution. I suggest that you check with a lawyer,
though.
Juliusz
P.S. Keith, this is off-topic for this list. Please complain if you
want us to take this discussion off list.
