This is an response to this mail: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnewsense-users/2007-11/msg00042.html

Yes it is hard to find non-free software in a distribution. It is probably much easier to start from scratch and add from day one only free software to your distribution. So you don't have to check existing packages, you just know that you have add only free software.

Creating a distribution from scratch is probably to much work. So we have to go the second way: Build upon an existing distribution.

GnewSense has waste already a lot of time with PFV. Time in which Gnewsense could have create a real good and up-to-date distribution. I think that's bad for GnewSense because thereby Gnewsense lost it's momentum. Just look at the mailinglist it calls itself a "users"-list but i haven't seen any users question/discussion for a really long time.

So the overall question is how we can make PFV easier so that we can concentrate more on creating an exciting distribution instead of putting all our effort in checking licenses?

For me the answer is clear. Gnewsense should build upon a distribution which already really cares about freedom. I can think about two possible distribution:

1. Debian. This would be the logical step. Just take Debian main and you will have a 99% Free Software Distribution because the Debian guys really care about freedom. The missing 1% is the kernel because Debian currently doesn't remove non-free firmware. So we only would have to check the kernel and maybe add additional packages from debian non-free (e.g. GNU manuals which is think Gnewsense considers as free). This would be much easier and we could work together and rely on the Debian Developers who also take care that only Free Software is in main.

2. Fedora: Fedora would be the second possible option. Fedora has verified all his packages with the help of the FSF. So you could quite confidentially use Fedora and be sure to be 99% free. Again the remaining 1% would be the Firmware.

Personally i would go with option 1 because i have more confident in the Debian guys than in the Fedora guys to take care that no non-free software enters the repository.

I know the question upon which distribution Gnewsense should buid on was discussed many times before. But using a distribution which bases on a quite good distribution (in the sense of freeness) and adds non-free components looks like a bad decision. We see and feel this bad decisions more and more. Gnewsense struggles now for months to get Gnewsense 100% free. We could get this much cheaper with a different distribution and concentrate more on making a exciting distribution which attract (many) new users.