Slashdotted today Debian to rename Firefox in its future distribution !! what I can’t understand is how Debian call Firefox isn’t “free” to use while they are able to change its name and logo, or the freedom is just imposing their trademarks on other software ? I’m sorry if Debian have decided already to change the name but this is really a bad decision not only to make confusion but to delay updates as soon as they are available for the Firefox community.
Debian is ready to change the name of Firefox in its distributions, beginning with Etch. They say it can be done within a week. The reasons stem from Mozilla’s recent insistence on trademark fidelity and its preferences regarding Firefox patches. Debian doesn’t want to accept the original trademarked fox & globe logo; they don’t see it as really ‘free’ to use. On the other hand, Mozilla doesn’t want Firefox distributed under that name if it lacks the logo. Mozilla also wants Debian patches to be submitted to them before distribution, and claims that’s what others (Red Hat and Novell) are already doing. But some believe development and releases will slow down if distribution-specific patches have to be checked and accepted first. We will surely see more clashes between copyright claims and ‘really free’ distros such as Debian.
