Non free network service

What does it mean " apps that promote or depend entirely on a Non-Free network service"

Does it mean I may get charged extra. My ISP deal gives me free calls sms and mobile Internet. Would those apps add a charge

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Nope. It basically means

Non-Free Network Services

This Anti-Feature is applied to apps that promote or depend entirely on a Non-Free network service which is impossible, or not easy to replace. Replacement requires changes to the app or service. This antifeature would not apply, if there is a simple configuration option that allows pointing the app to a running instance of an alternative, publicly available, self-hostable, free software server solution.

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“non-free” here refers here to the opposite of Free Software, not to any pricing. So the network services used by the app are based on closed source, proprietary software.

OK thanks but I do not understand this

@phw Ok thank you

Not necessarily… read the description again.

@GlenDroid in F-Droid Client you can touch the Anti-Feature and the explainer webpage will be opened

Can you explain? Under which circumstance would an app gain this anti-feature while using only FOSS services?

This antifeature would not apply, if there is a simple configuration option that allows pointing the app to a running instance of an alternative, publicly available, self-hostable, free software server solution.

Says right there

No, that says something different :smiley: That explains why an app might not have the anti-feature even though it accesses non-free services. What I wrote was that an app having the anti-feature uses network services bases on non-FOSS software.

The AF does not apply if the user is FREE to use another server.

Long discussion to fragment this AF into more targeted ones here: The term "nonfree network service" is not coherent (#553) · Issues · F-Droid / Data · GitLab

Yes sure, but that’s not what I wrote at all. I wrote about apps that have the AF. Maybe re-read my comment :wink:

Anyway, enough nit-picking

You read mine too then. :slight_smile:

That FREE is not limited to “some server software” that the user interacts with…

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