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[Bret Busby]

On 14/5/23 10:00, Ralf Mardorf via ubuntu-users wrote:
> On Sat, 2023-05-13 at 16:16 -0400, Robert Heller wrote:
>> Ubuntu uses apt for its package management
> 
> A PS related to apt:
> 
> While the "restricted" and "multiverse" repositories are clear, IMO it's
> important to be aware of the difference between software from "main" and
> from "universe", too. Actually a lot of the applications that "community
> and users feel are most important" are provided by "universe", too.
> 
> Something installed under the apt package management might be replaced
> by a snap when doing a release upgrade, without informing the user that
> this does happen, see https://packages.ubuntu.com/jammy/firefox . The
> way a containerized snap and a classic package management installed app
> behave are different and easily can become the cause for trouble.
> 
> IOW the Ubuntu style differs a lot from the Debian way.
> 
> "Main
> 
> The main component contains applications that are free software, can be
> freely redistributed and are fully supported by the Ubuntu team. This
> includes the most popular and most reliable open-source applications
> available, many of which are included by default when you install
> Ubuntu. Software in main includes a hand-selected list of applications
> that the Ubuntu developers, community and users feel are most important,
> and that the Ubuntu security and distribution team are willing to
> support. When you install software from the main component, you are
> assured that the software will come with security updates and that
> commercial technical support is available from Canonical.
> 
> Restricted
> 
> Our commitment is to only promote free software – or software available
> under a free licence. However, we make exceptions for a small set of
> tools and drivers that make it possible to install Ubuntu and its free
> applications on everyday hardware. These proprietary drivers are kept in
> the restricted component. Please note that it may not be possible to
> provide complete support for this software because we are unable to fix
> the software ourselves - we can only forward problem reports to the
> actual authors. Some software from restricted will be installed on
> Ubuntu CDs but is clearly separated to ensure that it is easy to remove.
> We will only use non-open-source software when there is no other way to
> install Ubuntu. The Ubuntu team works with vendors to accelerate the
> open-sourcing of their software to ensure that as much software as
> possible is available under a free licence.
> 
> Universe
> 
> The universe component is a snapshot of the free, open-source, and Linux
> world. It houses almost every piece of open-source software, all built
> from a range of public sources. Canonical does not provide a guarantee
> of regular security updates for software in the universe component, but
> will provide these where they are made available by the community. Users
> should understand the risk inherent in using these packages. Popular or
> well supported pieces of software will move from universe into main if
> they are backed by maintainers willing to meet the standards set by the
> Ubuntu team.
> 
> Multiverse
> 
> The multiverse component contains software that is not free, which means
> the licensing requirements of this software do not meet the Ubuntu main
> component licence policy. The onus is on you to verify your rights to
> use this software and comply with the licensing terms of the copyright
> holder. This software is not supported and usually cannot be fixed or
> updated. Use it at your own risk." -
>   https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories#Main
> 
> 

Thank you for the clarification of what each of the main, restricted, 
universe and multiverse, represent.

That is the first explanation, that I remember seeing.

Whilst it is now a while (almost ten years, now, I think), since I last 
used Debian, I am wondering whether Debian has, in that time, gone the 
same way as Ubuntu, and, no longer uses /etc/apt/sources.list as the 
list of repositories, but, instead, uses the /etc/apt/sources.list.d 
hierarchy.

..
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
(UTC+0800)
..............