Debian Is Still Working To Tackle ZFS On Linux Support

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Debian Is Still Working To Tackle ZFS On Linux Support

Last month we heard libdvdcss and ZFS should soon appear in Debian GNU/Linux, but now it doesn't appear that easy... It could end up taking a while longer for the ZFS file-system and the libdvdcss support for DVD playback on Debian to appear within the official repositories...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Debian-Libdvdcss-ZFS-Update

[gens]

"...and hopefully soon the Linux Foundation"
ye good luck with that

[dungeon]

And FSF asked about ZFS CDDL was designed to work against GPL, i didn't expect anything

[reub2000]

Ahh, nothing says freedom like having to ask your lawyers if you're allowed to combine 2 pieces of software.

[Marc Driftmeyer]

How about they get off their asses and get GNOME 3.16.2 out and KDE 5? No one truly gives a frack whether ZFS is stable on Debian, but a select minority.

[toyotabedzrock]

ZFS should be easy unless they copied the code. DVD support will break laws.

[Luke_Wolf]

ZFS should be easy unless they copied the code. DVD support will break laws.

Actually no, the ZFS part is the harder one. Libdvdcss is just a question of patents and possibly export laws effectively, whereas ZFS has a completely incompatible license to the Linux Kernel, which short of Oracle relicensing the code, can't be resolved. At best they can have the installer download the ZFS module if the user chooses to install it, with it being noted that it taints the kernel.

[jhenke]

If you want ZFS on Debian, just install Debian/kFreeBSD. ZFS works fine out of the box. Despite being not a release architecture, the team is preparing a Jessie release right now.

[reub2000]

Libdvdcss is just a question of patents and possibly export laws effectively

No I think he's right. It violates the DMCA's anti-circumvention restrictions. Illegal in the US.

[alexvoda]

Libdvdcss is just a question of patents and possibly export laws effectively

No I think he's right. It violates the DMCA's anti-circumvention restrictions. Illegal in the US.

So what? I don't really understand how a FLOSS project with contributions from every country can be tied down to the laws of one country.
If the issue is that it would not be legal to use in the US then they should just make a special "Crippled for the USA" version.
If the location of the servers that store the official repository are the problem they should just move them.
I do not see why a freely licensed project that by definition allows forking by anyone must comply with USA laws for exporting cryptographic algorithm "munitions".
Not every country has restrictions on circumventing DRM and the USA may be the only one that considers cryptographic algorithms to be munitions. Also patents are different from country to country.
Please, can someone explain to me why these would be issues for Debian?