Packages

This package contains vague terminology “Vendor”:

community/glide 0.12.3-1
    Dependency management and vendoring for Go projects

According to:
https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html

We shall avoid vague terminology such as “Vendor”, please see here:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Vendor

It would be good example to set to have proper description of packages without using “Vendor”.

eg.

Dependency management and suppliering for Go projects

This package contains vague terminology “Vendor”:

community/ndiswrapper-dkms 1.60.20160717-1
    Module for NDIS (Windows Network Drivers) drivers supplied by vendors.Use with DKMS

According to:
https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html

We shall avoid vague terminology such as “Vendor”, please see here:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Vendor

It would be good example to set to have proper description of packages without using “Vendor”.

eg.

Module for NDIS (Windows Network Drivers) drivers.Use with DKMS

Description: FreeCAD may be free software, yet its features are steering users towards non-free software. It is asking for Teigha File Converter which is proprietary software, and it is asking for the path in order to enable the option import/export.

Additional info:

* package version: community/freecad 0.16-9

Steps to reproduce:

After attempt to open the DWF/DXF file FreeCad is to request the Teigha File Converter which is proprietary software.

Under the menu Edit → Preferences → Import/Export → DWG, one can see the request to enter the path to Teigha File Converter.

Teigha File Converter with proprietary license

FreeCAD requesting the path to Teigha File Converter

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

extra/libspnav 0.2.3-1 [installed]
    Alternative to the proprietary 3Dconnexion device driver and SDK for their 3D input devices

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

community/classpath 0.99-3
    A free replacement for Sun's proprietary core Java class libraries.

My suggestion is to describe what software does, and to remove that it is free replacement for proprietary code, as it gives some kind of legitimacy to proprietary software.

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

extra/mp3wrap 0.5-4
     Tool for wrapping mp3 files. A free independent alternative to AlbumWrap

Description is pointing to proprietary software, it should not, it shall be changed.

It is not alternative to proprietary, and description shall be changed. It gives some kind of legitimacy to proprietary software.

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

community/pinta 1.6-2 [installed]
     Drawing/editing program modeled after Paint.NET. It's goal is to provide a simplified alternative to GIMP for casual users

I am not quite sure what the policy is in Hyperbola on this one. I am referring to the reference to the proprietary software Paint.NET. That is for me steering users to verify what is Paint.NET – we shall not be doing it. It should be removed from description.

I am fine if authors have in documentation something explaining how they started software project. But I am not fine in descriptions which are public and accessible on Internet to have such references to illegitimate proprietary software.

Just to clarify, the word “alternative” is just fine in this description and need not be removed.

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

To refer to published works as “assets”, or “digital assets”, is even worse than calling them “content” — it presumes they have no value to society except commercial value.

extra/breeze 5.9.5-1 (plasma)
    Artwork, styles and assets for the Breeze visual style for the Plasma Desktop

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

To refer to published works as “assets”, or “digital assets”, is even worse than calling them “content” — it presumes they have no value to society except commercial value.

extra/knewstuff 5.33.0-1 (kf5)
    Support for downloading application assets from the network

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

To refer to published works as “assets”, or “digital assets”, is even worse than calling them “content” — it presumes they have no value to society except commercial value.

extra/kpackage 5.33.0-1 (kf5)
    Framework that lets applications manage user installable packages of non-binary assets

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

To refer to published works as “assets”, or “digital assets”, is even worse than calling them “content” — it presumes they have no value to society except commercial value.

community/openmw 0.41.0-3.hyperbola1
    A libre engine reimplementation for Morrowind-based role-playing games, without wizard installation support to install nonfree assets from Morrowind to run Morrowind

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

To refer to published works as “assets”, or “digital assets”, is even worse than calling them “content” — it presumes they have no value to society except commercial value.

community/retroarch-assets-xmb 401-1 (libretro)
    XMB menu assets for RetroArch

Why not use “elements” instead?

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

To refer to published works as “assets”, or “digital assets”, is even worse than calling them “content” — it presumes they have no value to society except commercial value.

community/warsow-data 2.1.2-1.hyperbola2
    Free online multiplayer competitive FPS based on the Qfusion engine (data files), without nonfree assets

Description:

The description of the package need to be changed to accommodate:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

The expression “BSD-style license” leads to confusion because it lumps together licenses that have important differences. For instance, the original BSD license with the advertising clause is incompatible with the GNU General Public License, but the revised BSD license is compatible with the GPL.

To avoid confusion, it is best to name the specific license in question and avoid the vague term “BSD-style.”

community/libsmf 1.3-5
    A BSD-licensed C library for handling SMF ("*.mid") files.

extra/gfbgraph 0.2.3+10+gbc03c1f-1
    GLib/GObject wrapper for the Facebook Graph API

In my opinion this software is for exclusive use of proprietary network. This software shall be removed from Hyperbola.

Description:

In my opinion, this software shall be either removed, or features disabled to access either Google or Facebook, as those are proprietary networks.

Further, using those proprietary networks is steering users towards non-free software, directly, or indirectly, as many times Javascript need to be handled that is proprietary.

extra/kaccounts-integration 17.04.0-1 (kde-applications kdenetwork)
    Small system to administer web accounts for the sites and services across the KDE desktop, including: Google, Facebook, Owncloud, IMAP, Jabber and others

See:
https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html

A free system distribution must not steer users towards obtaining any nonfree information for practical use, or encourage them to do so.

extra/kaccounts-providers 17.04.0-1 (kde-applications kdenetwork)
    Small system to administer web accounts for the sites and services across the KDE desktop, including: Google, Facebook, Owncloud, IMAP, Jabber and others

I do not see why would “Google” and “Facebook” be there on the first place. This software shall be either removed, or features to access proprietary networks disabled.

Another point is that often such access would required handling the proprietary javascript. I do not know if that is the case here.

Description:

extra/bogofilter 1.2.4-2.hyperbola2
    A fast Bayesian spam filtering tool, without noncommercial files

That shall be clarified better in description.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Commercial

Please don’t use “commercial” as a synonym for “nonfree.” That confuses two entirely different issues.

Description:

extra/grilo 0.3.3+3+g3104a34-1
    Framework that provides access to various sources of multimedia content

The description is vague.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

Description:

extra/libgpod 0.8.3-5
    A shared library to access the contents of an iPod

The description is vague.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

Description:

extra/qpdf 6.0.0-2
    QPDF: A Content-Preserving PDF Transformation System

The description is vague.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

Description:

extra/qt5-svg 5.8.0-1 (qt qt5) [installed]
    Classes for displaying the contents of SVG files

The description is vague.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

Description:

extra/webkit2gtk 2.16.1-3.hyperbola1 [installed]
    GTK+ Web content engine library, without geoclue2 support

The description is vague as it is using “content” in description. Why not say “elements” or something more descriptive.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

Description:

extra/webkitgtk 2.4.11-6.hyperbola1
    Legacy Web content engine for GTK+ 3, without geoclue2 support

The description is vague. There is not even need to use “content” here. Web engine should be very clear. “Content” alone does not make sense.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

Description:

community/drupal 8.3.2-1
    A PHP-based content management platform

The description is vague. Content is not HTML page alone. Then even text editor could be called “content management”.

See:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Content

In most cases, that term really refers to a system for updating pages on a web site. For that, we recommend the term “web site revision system” (WRS).