LDraw parts list and programs in Debian - any more programs wanted?

[Johannes Schauer]

Hi,

I recently packaged the LDraw parts library, Brickutils, LdGLite and LDView for Debian. They are uploaded on mentors.debian.net so that they can be reviewed for inclusion in Debian and later Ubuntu and other derivatives (like Mint).

- ldraw-parts http://bugs.debian.org/714999 https://mentors.debian.net/package/ldraw-parts
- brickutils http://bugs.debian.org/715053 https://mentors.debian.net/package/brickutils
- ldglite http://bugs.debian.org/715053 https://mentors.debian.net/package/ldglite
- ldview http://bugs.debian.org/715280 https://me...age/ldview

The package ldraw-parts contains the CC-BY licensed part of the LDraw parts library and installs them into /usr/share/ldraw-parts. The last three packages where patched to work on Debian and use the parts provided by the ldraw-parts package.

The work was done under the umbrella of the DebianDesigners group. See https://wiki.debian.org/LegoDesigners

I was now attempting to package LPub4 but while it compiles fine the parts are wrongly scaled (individual parts filling half the page). The sourceforge repository doesnt list any activity for the past two years and the posted bugs are not commented upon. Is the project dead?

Besides informing you about these activities I have a question for you as a community: What other tools do you find essential to be packaged for Debian and its derivative? Please only list mature projects which are not abandoned and are known to not become abandoned in the foreseable future. Please also only list software which is used a lot by the community and not a niche project. I must ask these questions as I'm new to LDraw and only just registered in this forum.

cheers, josch

[Willy Tschager]

Hi Josch,

though I'm not a Linux user it sounds to me like a some sort of All-In-One Installer for Linux. I guess it would help uploading the files to the Peeron media server and it would be even more useful if you could update the "Getting Started" page and harmonize it with the AIOI for Windows. Anyway thanks for sharing!

w.

[Santeri Piippo]

Sounds very cool. Maybe we'll get that bit more exposure. I don't know if LeoCAD qualifies, other than that, I cannot think of anything general-purpose to include other than what you have listed.

[Johannes Schauer]

Hi Santeri,

I don't know if LeoCAD qualifies

Leocad was not listed in my initial post because it is already part of Debian: http://packages.debian.org/sid/leocad

[Johannes Schauer]

Hi Willy,

it sounds to me like a some sort of All-In-One Installer for Linux.

Most Linux distributions use package managers to install, upgrade and remove software. The closest there is to an "All-In-One Installer" are meta-packages (packages without contents) which depend on a group of packages. For example I could imagine that a meta package called "ldraw" (which upon installation would automatically draw in the other packages through its dependencies) could potentially be useful.

I guess it would help uploading the files to the Peeron media server

How would that help?

and it would be even more useful if you could update the "Getting Started" page and harmonize it with the AIOI for Windows.

Yes, I will do so, once my packages are accepted into Debian proper. This can take another couple of weeks.

cheers, josch

[Orion Pobursky]

I seem to remember a discussion that the CC-BY 2.0 license wasn't considered "open source enough" by the Debian crew. Was there a change in heart?

[Johannes Schauer]

I seem to remember a discussion that the CC-BY 2.0 license wasn't considered "open source enough" by the Debian crew.

I can't find this discussion, can you give me a link?

Was there a change in heart?

No, CC-BY 2.0 is still considered to be "non-free" because of reasons which are summarized here: http://evan.prodromou.name/ccsummary/ccsummary.html

An overview of CC licenses in Debian is given here http://wiki.debian.org/DFSGLicenses. CC-BY 3.0 is still debated but there is work in Debian main which is CC-BY 3.0 licensed so it seems to be okay. Another CC license which work is CC-BY-SA 3.0. CC-BY-SA 2.0 and 2.5 also work because clause 4b allows redistribution of derivative works under later versions of the license.

Because LDraw is licensed under CC-BY 2.0, my packaging of the LDraw library can only enter the "non-free" section of the Debian archive. Any programs that require the LDraw parts library can therefore also not make it into Debian main but must be in the "contrib" section. Users who want to install the LDraw parts library and LDraw programs would therefore first have to enable those additional archive sections.

[Orion Pobursky]

No, CC-BY 2.0 is still considered to be "non-free" because of reasons which are summarized here: http://evan.prodromou.name/ccsummary/ccsummary.html

This is what I was referring to, and answers my question. My memory is fuzzy somtimes.