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   Strypey (strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz)'s status on Friday, 23-May-2025 20:21:27 JST Strypey

   Is the Free Software Directory sharing data with the F-Droid app list and vice-versa? Helping both stay up-to-date. How about WikiData entries for software under free licenses?

   It strikes me there could be directory sites similar to the F-Droid one for libre Android, specializing in other OS. Or software across all OS platforms for particular use cases (multimedia, office use, etc). All of which could have 2-way data-sharing with both FSD and WD.

   #FSD #FreeSoftwareDirectory #FDroid #OpenData

   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Friday, 23-May-2025 20:21:25 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • F-Droid
     @fdroidorg @strypey As stated in the revision; "Remove mention of the f-droid client as it probably depends on nonfree software (the Android SDK) and its repository contain software (like yalp) that use third party repositories with nonfree software."
     
     Please stop using google's proprietary SDK and use a free SDK instead and the directory will be able to consider listing and recommending f-droid.
   • Embed this notice
     F-Droid (fdroidorg@floss.social)'s status on Friday, 23-May-2025 20:21:26 JST F-Droid

     in reply to

     @strypey We might strive for the same future, but we don't agree in all ways to get there: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Conversations.im&type=revision&diff=89511&oldid=83973

   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Saturday, 24-May-2025 03:24:12 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • F-Droid
     • Cosmin
     @cosmin @fdroidorg @strypey Debian maintains an Android SDK package which appears to be free, but it isn't complete and doesn't correspond with google's version; https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?email=android-tools-devel%40lists.alioth.debian.org
     
     It is listed to install google's proprietary SDK in the build server instructions; https://f-droid.org/docs/Installing_the_Server_and_Repo_Tools/
     
     Google releases SDK binaries under a proprietary license that says; "3.4 You may not use the SDK for any purpose not expressly permitted by the License Agreement. Except to the extent required by applicable third party licenses, you may not copy (except for backup purposes), modify, adapt, redistribute, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or create derivative works of the SDK or any part of the SDK."; https://developer.android.com/studio/terms
     
     This may seem odd, considering that they also release the sources to the SDK under a free license that seems mostly complete (but it seems the spyware and malware injection code is missing - for example google played services stuff, which means there are slight differences).
     
     The SDK sources are massive and are very difficult to get to compile, but some people manage to get them to compile after many hours of work and release a free SDK, which can be used to compile Android software.
     
     But, it appears that a lot of Android software depends on proprietary stuff in the google SDK (either accidentally or intentionally), meaning that it fails to compile without modifications under a free SDK - which is quite inconvenient.
     
     F-droid could start a drive to get stuff compiling with a free SDK, but instead they've gone the easier route (a faster road that leads to the wrong place) and is using google's proprietary SDK.
   • Embed this notice
     Cosmin (cosmin@social.linux.pizza)'s status on Saturday, 24-May-2025 03:24:14 JST Cosmin

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • F-Droid

     @Suiseiseki
     Debian has an "android-sdk" package - that's supposed to be free, isn't it?
     Is it different from google's?
     @fdroidorg @strypey