Re: LCC and blobs

[Goswin von Brederlow <brederlo@informatik.uni-tuebingen.de>]

Martin Waitz <tali@admingilde.org> writes:

> hoi :)
>
> On Sun, Dec 12, 2004 at 12:57:09AM +0100, Goswin von Brederlow wrote:
>> >> Would you accept a patch for ppp of the form:
>> >> 
>> >> char data[] = { 0x17, 0x23, 0x42, ...};
>> >> ...
>> >> *(int (*)(int))data(fd);
>> >> 
>> >> After all, it is just data.
>> > No, because these bytes are executed on the system CPU under the control
>> > of the OS, so to me they look like software.
>> 
>> Where in the GPL does it say anything about being executed or where or
>> under which control? Where does the DFSG say something about that?
>
> with such a reasoning, /ALL/ drivers are non-free because they send
> commands to the hardware and it gets executed by the hardware.

Not at all. Normal drivers communicate with the hardware over a define
protocol. Your reasoning is like saying wget is non-free because the
webserver it talks to is non-free.

> Every driver has to initialize its device by sending some magic
> commands.  It's none of our business what the device is doing with
> these commands.  If it stores the bytes in RAM, that's fine.
> Firmware is just a long initialization command.

That doesn't change the fact that the firmware is a program and as
such must follow the GPL (if released under GPL). For what it is used
or where it is executed is completly irelevant. All that matters is
that for Debian to distribute it the license has to be followed.

Even worse, with the SC change, the firmware has to be 100% free. Even
if you say it is just data it still has to be free. Whatever that
might entail.

> -- 
> Martin Waitz

MfG
        Goswin