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== Other Repositories with only free (libre) software == | == Other Repositories with only free (libre) software == | ||
Of course, Fedora doesn't have the only software repositories that contain free (libre) software. There are other third party repositories that Fedora users want to use. Since Red Hat has no relationship with these repositories as it does with Copr repositories, allowing things in Fedora to point users to these repositories would represent a new legal liability. Fedora Legal would need to audit the packages in these repositories for legal problems both when the repositories are initially approved and on an ongoing basis (as the software in the repositories is updated, Fedora Legal would need to check that the new versions of packages in the repository remained legally okay for us to point people at.) For this reason, the rules for including a non-Copr third party repository are more strict than for Copr repos. | |||
( | * Third party repositories that host diverse pieces of software (a repository like Fedora before it became a Red Hat community project, for instance) cannot be searched or enabled. This is because it would simply be too much work for Fedora Legal to audit such a repository. | ||
* Repositories that enable a specific piece of free software may be pointed at in the same way as COPRs. However, they must be approved by both FESCo and Fedora Legal first. | |||
* Fedora Legal is not limited to simply evaluating the repositories on Legal criteria. Because they are responsible for auditing the third party repositories on an ongoing basis, they have discretion to say no for other reasons including (but not limited to) simply not having time to take on the auditing of more repositories. | |||
* FESCo and Fedora Legal can remove approval as well as grant it. This is due in part to the work that ongoing maintenance represents to Fedora Legal and also to the fact that package updates in the repositories could mean we no longer want to point to them. | |||
== Non-free (libre) software == | == Non-free (libre) software == | ||
Revision as of 02:21, 12 December 2013
End users sometimes want to install software that is not provided by Fedora. This policy lays out the extent to which Fedora Products can make it easier for end users to do that.
Copr Repositories
Fedora allows contributors to build rpms and host the output in some repositories on our servers. These are known as Copr repositories. Packages in these repositories are not held to the same packaging standards as packages in the Main Fedora Repositories but they are all held to the same Licensing and Legal requirements. Fedora Legal has the authority to remove packages from the Copr repositories or have problematic Copr repositories removed as Red Hat is liable for any legal issues that may arise here. Due to this relationship, we are a little more flexible in our policy for Copr repositories than other third party repositories.
- COPRs can provide RPMS with .repo files in them because Red Hat is the provider and assumes liability
- RPMS with .repo files pointing to COPR repos cannot be included in the main Fedora repository per FESCo decree.
- Application installers in the main Fedora repositories may search COPR repos for applications to install as long as the user is explicitly asked to enable the copr repository before installing packages from them.
Other Repositories with only free (libre) software
Of course, Fedora doesn't have the only software repositories that contain free (libre) software. There are other third party repositories that Fedora users want to use. Since Red Hat has no relationship with these repositories as it does with Copr repositories, allowing things in Fedora to point users to these repositories would represent a new legal liability. Fedora Legal would need to audit the packages in these repositories for legal problems both when the repositories are initially approved and on an ongoing basis (as the software in the repositories is updated, Fedora Legal would need to check that the new versions of packages in the repository remained legally okay for us to point people at.) For this reason, the rules for including a non-Copr third party repository are more strict than for Copr repos.
- Third party repositories that host diverse pieces of software (a repository like Fedora before it became a Red Hat community project, for instance) cannot be searched or enabled. This is because it would simply be too much work for Fedora Legal to audit such a repository.
- Repositories that enable a specific piece of free software may be pointed at in the same way as COPRs. However, they must be approved by both FESCo and Fedora Legal first.
- Fedora Legal is not limited to simply evaluating the repositories on Legal criteria. Because they are responsible for auditing the third party repositories on an ongoing basis, they have discretion to say no for other reasons including (but not limited to) simply not having time to take on the auditing of more repositories.
- FESCo and Fedora Legal can remove approval as well as grant it. This is due in part to the work that ongoing maintenance represents to Fedora Legal and also to the fact that package updates in the repositories could mean we no longer want to point to them.
Non-free (libre) software
Repositories that contain non-free software are not allowed in any form, even the indirect method of If a product should want to make these discoverable via searching software would require a change in policy from the Fedora Board.