Re: Links to javascript-based websites from orgmode.org: Paypal and Github (was: Communication problems and possible problems with the website)

[Michael Powe <powem@ctpowe.net>]

Hello,

There's an old joke, that C allows you to blow your own foot off, and 
C++ allows you to blow off the whole leg. The FSF is like the C++ of the 
free software world. Whatever your feelings about PayPal - I avoid it 
like plague - it's ubiquitous in the web world of donations. In fact, 
you can find it on https://my.fsf.org/donate. All, or nearly all, 
packages that I use in Emacs are hosted on GitHub. Oh my, what's this? 
https://github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs! Say it isn't so!

Years ago, the Debian team started a huge dust-up by threatening to 
exclude GCC documentation from its distribution because its license 
wasn't "free enough." Let's not drive down that road.

We didn't make this world, but we live in it.

Thanks.

mp

On 2/25/2022 10:14, Ihor Radchenko wrote:
> c.buhtz@posteo.jp writes:
>
>> Am 25.02.2022 15:18 schrieb Ihor Radchenko:
>>> Org has no official GitHub page. This is partially a requirement from
>>> Free Software Foundation:
>>> https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/standards.html#References
>> I totally and absolute support that FSF requirement.
>>
>> In that case I would say org-mode does violate that requirement because
>> there is a GitHub and a PayPal link on the landing page. And on the Worg
>> page (which is "official" from the new users point of view) there is
>> also a GitHub link.
>> It does not matter that there is not code on GitHub and that this is
>> only for sponsoring/donations. You have the link and the logo so you
>> "promote" that stuff that the FSF do not want you to promote.
> Fair point. Paypal requires non-free javascript. Github as well, AFAIK.
>
> At the same time, according to GNU Coding standards:
>
>>> A web page recommends a program in an implicit but particularly
>>> strong way if it requires users to run that program in order to use
>>> the page. Many pages contain Javascript code which they recommend in
>>> this way. This Javascript code may be free or nonfree, but nonfree is
>>> the usual case.
>>>
>>> If the purpose for which you would refer to the page cannot be
>>> carried out without running nonfree Javascript code, then you should
>>> not refer to it. Thus, if the purpose of referring to the page is for
>>> people to view a video, or subscribing to a mailing list, and the
>>> viewing or subscribing fail to work if the user’s browser blocks the
>>> nonfree Javascript code, then don’t refer to that page.
>>>
>>> The extreme case is that of web sites which depend on nonfree
>>> Javascript code even to see the contents of the pages. Any site
>>> hosted on ‘wix.com’ has this problem, and so do some other sites.
>>> Referring people to such pages to read their contents is, in effect,
>>> urging them to run those nonfree programs—so please don’t refer to
>>> those pages. (Such pages also break the Web, so they deserve
>>> condemnation for two reasons.)
> While orgmode.org is not developed in the same repository with the Org
> mode itself, I have a gut feeling that we still have to follow GNU
> coding standards on the website. However, WORG contains links to various
> blogs, reddit, stackoverflow, and even youtube and it feels right. I
> notice that I am confused. I would like to hear Bastien's opinion on the
> topic.
>
> Best,
> Ihor
>
>
-- 
"Do not neglect to do good, and to share what you have." - Hebrews 13:16a
Michael Powe
Naugatuck CT USA
powem@ctpowe.net