Bug#982402: Firmware needs prober
Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist
Sure, one can install
all the firmware-*
packages in Debian, and thus be sure one has all the firmware one needs.
However that is a big waste. Many megabytes of wasted updates for who
knows what, some IBM printer from 1967, who knows?
Therefore there should be a package, that probes the system, to see
exactly what firmware packages one really needs.
Yes, it needs to be a highly specialized script that knows what kinds of
places to probe for what. (like lshw.)
And in its man page it needs to say "turn on / plug in all your devices
for best results."
Sure, a lot of firmware needs just cannot be probed, and one must wait
for problems to occur before one starts searching Google with the
symptoms, finally finding the answer, hopefully.
Yes, it would be nice if each hardware that needed firmware could be
probed in a standard way so that it would respond saying what firmware
it needed. Etc.
Reply to: