[pkg-firebird-general] Bug#604435: ITP: libdbd-interbase-perl -- DBI driver for Firebird and InterBase

[Damyan Ivanov]

Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist
Owner: Damyan Ivanov <dmn at debian.org>

* Package name    : libdbd-interbase-perl
  Version         : 0.48
  Upstream Author : Edwin Pratomo <edpratomo at cpan.org>
* URL             : http://search.cpan.org/dist/DBD-InterBase/
  License         : GPL-1+ or Artistic with restrictions (non-free)
  Programming Lang: C, Perl
  Description     : DBI driver for Firebird and InterBase

  DBD::InterBase is a Perl module which works with the DBI module to provide
  access to Firebird and InterBase databases.
  .
  DBI is the standard database interface layer for Perl.

This would go in non-free, because of the following license terms:

    The DBD::InterBase module is free software. You may distribute under the 
    terms of either the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License, as 
    specified in the Perl README file, with the exception that it cannot be 
    placed on a CD-ROM or similar media for commercial distribution without the 
    prior approval of the author.

A very early discussion about the restriction is available at 
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2004/06/msg00305.html

There are opinions that the restriction was copied verbatim from the dbd-oracle 
module and there is effort to drop it (it was dropped in dbd-oracle). In the 
mean time, non-free/perl it is. A ticket has been filed upstream about dropping 
the restriction (https://rt.cpan.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=63226)

The package will be maintained under the pkg-perl umbrella, but I have decided 
to go with Git for source management. Sorry guys, the ability to work detached 
from the network is very important to me.