The fonts-font-awesome package (version 4.7.0~dfsg) currently violates
the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG #2) because it does not
provide the preferred form for modification for its primary components.

1. Missing Font Sources
The package provides generated font binaries (.otf, .ttf, .woff, etc.)
and a combined SVG font file. However, the individual SVG source files
for each icon and the FontForge project files are missing from both the
source package and the upstream GitHub distribution for version 4.7.0.
As confirmed in the context of bug #1135180, these individual sources
are required to rebuild the fonts in a DFSG-compliant manner.

2. Missing Documentation Sources
The debian/copyright file excludes the upstream src/ directory to purge
non-free blobs (minified JavaScript and Flash binaries). While this
exclusion is correct for those specific files, it also removes the
legitimate Jekyll/Markdown sources for the documentation. As a result,
the documentation cannot be rebuilt from the source package.

3. Missing Build System
The source package is currently incapable of building its documentation.
The Jekyll-based build infrastructure is entirely missing, and the
included _config.yml points to a "src" directory that has been
stripped from the archive. This leaves the package with configuration
stubs for a build system that is not present in the source tree.

Path Forward:
Although the Fork Awesome project is currently archived and defunct, its
SIL OFL-licensed SVG assets (forked from FA 4.7.0) remain a valid
source for the icons. A compliant path forward involves:

1. Sourcing individual SVG icons from a verified free project (like
   the Fork Awesome assets).
2. Implementing a modern, DFSG-compliant build toolchain using
   Debian-native tools such as python3-fontforge or node-webfont.
3. Rebuilding all font binaries (.ttf, .otf, .woff, etc.) from these
   SVG sources during the package build process.

This approach replaces the current reliance on source-less upstream
binaries and the defunct Ruby-based build system with a sustainable,
transparent, and fully rebuildable toolchain.

Historical context can be found in bug #899124, #902981, and #1135180.

retitle 1140315 "fonts-font-awesome: questionable DFSG status of FontAwesome fonts"
severity 1140315 important
tags 1140315 - fixed-upstream
notforwarded 1140315
severity 1136707 important
merge 1136707 1140315
thanks

The arguments given in these bug reports currently seem a bit ad hoc
to me - there seems no strong reason to regard the licensing of
ForkAwesome as any better or worse than that of FontAwesome.  So I'm
marking both of these bugs as severity "important" and merging them
for now, until we can come up with a genuine, workable resolution.

(Note that #1140315 is a clone of #902981, focusing on the DFSG status
of the font package.)

Best wishes,

   Julian