How to Blacklist a package

If you find a package that contains, uses or recommends nonfree software, report an issue for it unless it's obvious that it won't be liberated and you can blacklist it.

Reporting an issue

Choose the project responsible for it, nearly always Packages, and report an issue with the "Freedom issue" type and priority. Report separate issues for appropriate projects if the package is included with installation media.

Blacklist the package

  • If the package can be replaced by a free one, make the replacement available on all architectures having the package to be blacklisted available first.
  • If you don't have write access to the blacklist, send a patch produced using git format-patch to dev@lists.parabola.nu.
  • If you do:
  • clone blacklist project on your computer:
    # git clone ssh://git@parabola.nu/srv/git/blacklist.git
    (or https://projects.parabola.nu/blacklist.git for read-only access)
  • pull blacklist.git:
    # cd ~/blacklist && git pull
  • add the package in a new line with the following syntax in blacklist.txt:

package:[libre-replacement-package-name]:[ref]:[id]:[short description] where something within [] is optional (see the file SYNTAX for description of the ref and id fields), e.g:

linux:linux-libre:fsf:linux_linux-backports-modules.2A_linux-ubuntu-modules:[semifree] nonfree blobs and firmwares

The replacement must be compatible for use by humans and scripts, e.g. fastjar is not a replacement for zip although both solve the same problem.

  • enter into blacklist folder
    # cd ~/blacklist
  • push the changes:
git add blacklist.txt
git commit -m "description of your change"
git push
  • ssh into the repo server
    ssh parabola
  • pull the change:
    @repo$ cd ~/blacklist && git pull
  • run
    @repo$ db-check-nonfree

See also