Medibuntu
Encyclopedia
Medibuntu is a community-maintained repository of Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...

 packages that cannot be included into the Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...

 distribution for legal reasons.

Reasons for non-inclusion include copyright, license or patent restrictions, or geographical variations in legislation, such as:
  • patentability of software, algorithms, formats and other abstract creation
  • legal restrictions on freedom of speech or communication
  • restrictions on the use of certain types of technology, such as cryptography
  • legal restrictions on imports of software technology, requiring for example specific permissions
  • offense which packages may cause to users that would make them unsuitable for Ubuntu's universe repository


Much free software and non-free software is affected by such restrictions somewhere in the world, thus preventing its inclusion into Ubuntu.

Medibuntu packages and distributes such software. Downloading, using, distributing or otherwise dealing with software from Medibuntu might be illegal depending on the user's jurisdiction/region.

Examples of software in Medibuntu are Acrobat Reader, non-free codecs, Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...

, and RealPlayer
RealPlayer
RealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...

.

See also

  • Getdeb
    Getdeb
    GetDeb is an Ubuntu software portal with ready-to-install applications in Ubuntu's default package format. It was created to simplify the installation of new software for Ubuntu users...

  • SuperDeb
  • Penguin Liberation Front
    Penguin Liberation Front
    The Penguin Liberation Front is a project to provide packages of so-called "endangered software" - free software which may not be legally distributable in some countries - for Linux users and developers...

     (Mandriva
    Mandriva
    Mandriva S.A. is a publicly traded Linux and open source software company with its headquarters in Paris, France and development center in Curitiba, Brazil. Mandriva, S.A...

     equivalent)
  • Packman (openSUSE
    OpenSUSE
    openSUSE is a general purpose operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported openSUSE Project and sponsored by SUSE...

     equivalent)
  • RPM Fusion (Fedora/RedHat
    Fedora (operating system)
    Fedora is a RPM-based, general purpose collection of software, including an operating system based on the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat...

    equivalent)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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