linux (repo ?)

[sam111]

I am on a debian-based linux os's a variation of ubuntu...

I am curious though how the repositories are broken down.
I found this on the internet

The repository components are:

Main - Officially supported software.

Restricted - Supported software that is not available under a completely free license.

Universe - Community maintained software, i.e. not officially supported software.

Multiverse - Software that is not free.

Does the differences in what you can do legally with the different repo software.

For example I can download multiverse software like dvdstyler ,...etc
And use it freely. Does the "not free part" come from the fact you cann't get the source code or just redistribute a modified copy, or both ?

Also is the only difference between whats under the universe repo to whats under the main repo just the fact that the main repo would held at a higher guarantee of quality? Where as the universe repo doesn't guarantee you anything in terms of functionality and quality?

And I am assuming the restrict repo is only different from main repo in that the software source is not available.

Do I got the repo's correct or am I missing something?

[elija]

I can't put it any better than this

[hazel]

Does the differences in what you can do legally with the different repo software?

Yes, more or less. Restricted software, as far as I know, is free in itself but depends on proprietary packages, which some people consider unacceptable. Proprietary software (the Multiverse) may be licenced in various ways. Whether you are allowed to copy it or run it on more than one machine depends on the specific licensing conditions. You have to read the license to find out.

BTW I think this is Ubuntu nomenclature. Debian calls the restricted repository contrib, meaning contributed but not officially supported and the proprietary one non-free.

[sam111]

Ok, curious do all the different repo's main , restricted, universe ,... etc
Do you have the ability to get the source as well as the software? (i.e is all the repo's open source and just have different licensing a associated with it. Or are their some repo's that are not open source and also have different licensing as well.)

[hazel]

If it's free software, you can look at the source code. That is true of GPL software and some other licenses such as BSD, Apache and Mozilla. If it's proprietary, whether you can see the source or not depends on the license; usually the answer is no.

[sam111]

Well in terms of the different repo's which ones would have open source (ability to read the source and modify it)
i.e main , restricted , universe , multiverse ...etc???

Or are their some closed source / mixed software in each of the repo's.
I guess I am getting at if a repo correspondeds to a certain licensing GPL , LGPL ,....etc Or if a repo could have closed software in it.

For example would main repo software always be open sourced (so you can see all of the code) or does it contain a mixed?

Same question for the other repo's multiverse , universe , restrict ,....

[oz]

So far as I know, each distribution sets up their repos the way they want them and there are no global rules that all repository maintainers/owners must follow, so they can add whatever they please so long as they don't break any laws or violate any licenses.

If that's incorrect, maybe someone will post a correction with the details, or a link to them.

[sam111]

Ya, thats for a general repo system ...
But I was just curious if their was any relationship between open source and the ubuntu repo's main , multiverse , restricted , ...etc breakdown?

[elija]

Re-read the page I linked to above and consider that free in the context of that discussion is freedom not price. It should answer your question.

[oz]

You could also go to the Ubuntu mailing lists page and create the appropriate account there to communicate directly with those in charge and control of the their repositories to find out what is and what is not allowed in each of their repos.

If anyone can provide a satisfactory answer for you, they should be able to do so.