Will Firefox no longer be named Firefox?

[Scott J. Henson]

Travis Watkins wrote:
> On 9/26/06, Eldo Varghese <poningru at ufl.edu> wrote:
>> Now this stuff they probably would care about, but why not gave through
>> the approval process?
>> - Eldo
>>
>>
> 
> Alright, so then Ubuntu can distribute Firefox and call it Firefox. If
> I make an Ubuntu derivitive (say like MEPIS) and include further
> changes to Firefox, I can no longer legally call it Firefox. This hits
> at least two things in the DFSG so Debian won't do it. I hope Ubuntu
> follows Debian in this one.

Actually, you can call it Firefox.  If and only if you show
Mozilla your changes and allow them to approve them.  The
way it has been viewed within Debian, is as a mark of
quality.  You let Mozilla do a little QA on your changes and
you can call it Firefox. Debian does not, from reading the
discussion and bug, consider this non-free.

The problem that Debian currently has with Firefox is that
it must use the logo with the name.  The problem is that the
logo has a non-free license attached to it. As a result
Debian cannot ship the logo.  So now the problem becomes
that Debian must stop shipping Firefox with the name Firefox
because it can't ship the logo as well.

I'd also like to point something out.  I don't remember
seeing many @ubuntu.com email addresses posting in this
thread.  I don't know if that is because Ubuntu developers
don't post with those addresses, or if they aren't
participating.  There is already a bug about it in launchpad
and one in the debian bts.  What use is it to continue to
discuss it here.  I have also not seen a representative of
Mozilla commenting in this thread.  Its becoming a pretty
big thread and I have begun questioning its value to the
Ubuntu development process.  Should it maybe be moved to
sounder?

-- 
Scott Henson
LCSEE Systems Staff
WVU MAE Undergraduate
Ubuntu User