Mageia forum

As the attached image from WelcometoMageia/Applications shows, some of my applications are tainted, whatever that means. Two of them are codecs, but I did not install any, though they could have been included with VLC or Audacious. Handbrake is also tainted, though I did not install that. Also, there are double entries for all tainted applications except for Handbrake. Would someone care to explain how that happened and if it can be fixed?

"Tainted" means that you are running versions of the package or code that is not fully open-source, but contains some copyrighted code or functionality.

Unless you are a hard core open source software purist, you should ignore that your packages are tainted; typically this means you have functionality that you would not have in the untainted package. If you have a substantial philosophical objection to using copyrighted code, or perhaps some business-related objection to the licensing that accompanies that copyrighted code, then you can remove your tainted packages and replace them with untainted versions.

Otherwise, don't worry about it.

The packages themselves aren't tainted, they come from the so-called tainted repositories, if that makes more sense. Have a look at e.g. https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Mirrors_policy#tainted

This is nothing that needs to be "fixed". Also double entries for a package means that there is a regular version, and one from the tainted repositories. The latter usually includes more funtionality e.g. some patented video/audio codecs.

Apart from that, handbrake is definitely not installed by default, you have installed that at some point in time.

Thanks for the replies. I was wrong about Handbrake, as it clearly has an "Install" option , so it's not installed yet.

As for "tainted," I was confused by the word and by the fact that for some applications (e.g., VLC), there is both a non-tainted and tainted version, which I find strange.

pccobbler wrote:there is both a non-tainted and tainted version, which I find strange.

Not strange: Mageia give you the choice.
By default install the tainted repo is not enabled, so you get no patent encumbered packages.

You can change any time you wish.