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View Full Version : non-free, proprietary, commercial pkgs: how to know ALL about ALL the installed ones?



newbieforever
March 19th, 2008, 12:49 PM
Hello,
I see that there are already some "similar" threads.

But please let me remark the question in the more general way:

Actually I hope this VERY BOOOOOORING post could become a reference for everyone who cares about her-his duties and consequences of NOT DELIBERATE INFRINGEMENTS about sotware she-he has on her-his machine.
I would be glad to be able to mark this post as "SOLVED" asap! :-)
__________________________________________________ _______

I really would like to:

- have a COMPLETE list of all the installed single INSTALLED packages, applications, codecs, drivers... that are NON-FREE, anyway they are, even AFTER the installation

- know how to read the LICENSE (if it exists) for all those ones

- know whether is there some LIMITATIONS to the use:
.....have I to pay a fee?
.....have I to purchase the "license"?
.....can I use them for commercial purpose (I mean in a professional, non home/personal, enviroment)?
.....are there royalties on derivative works? (even only a presentation made with some kind of fonts or clipart)
.....who have I to contact to make thing all right? the vendor, the manufacturer...? and how?

- know how to discriminate beetwen "non-free without fee and commercial limitations" (google picasa, adobe flash-player) and "non-free with some kind of fee / limitation" (many codecs for dvd, wmv, wma I wonder/suppose, for example)?

- know how to discriminate beetwen the software that I use for my exclusive personal purposes (entertainment), and that one I use for commercial purpose?
in other words:
I have one notebook, and I use at home and office, and I use different software for different purpose in the two environment: --> how have I to behave in this case? beacuse some software are freeware only for personal use (home and learning) and not commercial (office)

- know wether when I actually own a license for a kind of software IN WINDOWS (say, for example, a codec), it is valid also if I use it in ubuntu
_________________________________

I ask that beacuse I realized that in the standard repositories, and in other ones, Synaptic or even single applications, allow to install non-free software.

I also realize that I more control about that, when I manually download and install a single .DEB file or similar.

So let me underline that I refer to Synaptic and automatic "install / update" procedures, which gives the impression / illusion that it's all right under this point of view: they are easy, quick and so on, and many times I'm in a hurry and I install without carefully reading about the system-purposed packages, I admit / confess that! :-)

I want to be sure not being any law / ownership / copyright infringement with the simple fact of having that software installed.

Could anyone help me to find a RE-USABLE METHOD to remove all doubts and concerns? And then to fix all my pendings duties, (paying the fee, or removing the packages)?

Synaptic doesn't help very much: for example if I select "non-free" it doesn't list some of surely non-free installed packages.

I do the following:

Synaptic --> button: Origin --> I get a list of Entries (local, repository #1, #2, #3...) --> many entries have two "sub-entries" (free / non-free), and I can see some packages in every entry (with various tabbed infos).

Can I be sure it is ALL there? ALL the software of any kind installed?

Sometimes there are no information about the *exact* license, limitations, vendor, manufacturer, and so on...
__________________________________________________ ____

Thank you very much for reading such a deteailed and boring post! :-)

And thanks even more if anyone could dispel all doubts once for all!

Sef
March 19th, 2008, 02:22 PM
Moved to Community Cafe.

p_quarles
March 19th, 2008, 02:51 PM
The package called "vrms" (for "Virtual Richard M. Stallman") will give you a rundown on the non-free and patent-encumbered software installed on your computer.

newbieforever
March 22nd, 2008, 10:06 AM
The package called "vrms" (for "Virtual Richard M. Stallman") will give you a rundown on the non-free and patent-encumbered software installed on your computer.

thanks: i love RMS! :-) ill soon try the package!
c u!

and thanks to all for the votes! :-)

drascus
March 22nd, 2008, 11:54 AM
The package called "vrms" (for "Virtual Richard M. Stallman") will give you a rundown on the non-free and patent-encumbered software installed on your computer.

I met Richard about a week ago and he said that vrms won't Identify all non-free packages it's a start but you can't soley rely on it. If you must have totally free software (I recommend that you do) please check out gnewsense or Gobuntu. Although Gobuntu does have non-free software in the repos none is installed by default. Hopefully in the future Free Software will be able to replace all or most of the application needs and non-free software is slowly becomming Free Softeare (i.e. Java going GPL) So the future right now looks rather bright.

newbieforever
March 25th, 2008, 10:39 AM
hello drascus,
many thanks for your kind reply,
please forgive me for the late return, but strangely i dont receive notifications about this thread...

I met Richard about a week ago and he said that vrms won't Identify all non-free packages it's a start but you can't solely rely on it.

did you mean you met the real RMS, in real life? that's great! thanks for the information! you turn my attention to new arguments, that's very valuable to me


If you must have totally free software (I recommend that you do) please check out gnewsense or Gobuntu.
i read a bit about this distros (1 (http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/gobuntu), 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobuntu), 3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNewSense), 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goobuntu), 5 (http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/20) simple links)
i got that those distros are to "extremely-free" :-) for me...

im not sad about the false rumors about a google ubuntu derivative, because i think that google is becoming a little pervasive: i use noscript on mff, and i notice that google ads and google analytics are everywhere!
besides i have to set my google account very carefully to defend my privacy...

my concern is not focused on having a completely "real free" system, but having a system the most possible free, and being ok towards fiscal authorities about non-free components: if i installed a commercial component, i would be glad to be conscious of that, and remove it or pay the license, according to my needs;

my skill level is very low, and my need to be fast and effective are very high, so in this starting phase could happen that i will purchase license because i cant learn all i need in a couple of months

for example linuxappfinder (http://linuxappfinder.com/) is a good resource for me, for example... it is a very undervalued site, i hope its diffusion could grow...



Although Gobuntu does have non-free software in the repos none is installed by default. Hopefully in the future Free Software will be able to replace all or most of the application needs and non-free software is slowly becoming Free Software (i.e. Java going GPL)
i absolutely agree with you, but in the meanwhile i have to accept compromises :(


So the future right now looks rather bright.that's the point: people is beginning to understand what a proprietary format and system mean: high price (both economical, political, and human), low freedom (idem), veeeery low performance and investment return!
i hope and think that in the early future this consciousness will become wider, because in these days our lives rely on softwares... i cant deny that...
what could we do without an embedded software in a operating theatre? and what happens if this software is proprietary?