Re: New section for firmware.

[Didier Raboud <didier@raboud.com>]

Johannes Wiedersich wrote:

> Didier Raboud wrote:
>> And if this section is not considered "part of the Debian system", why
>> including software from it on the Debian CD's ? (The inverse question is
>> to be answered too...)
> 
> Because it might be required in order to install all that free software
> in the first place.
> 
> How should one download the firmware for the network card? (Please don't
> tell me: from a second computer or after installing an other non-free OS
> on that computer, as this might not be possible or might be difficult
> for some users. )

In any case you have to download something and transfer it somehow to the
target machine - this being a CD to burn or a USB key to write on, an OS
giving hand to the installer kernel,... Downloading and burning a
second "thing" should not be that hard (but could be in real corner-cases).

But this is a "technical" issue. I think that the question is philosophical
and related to "free and libre software" and Debian's concept of it.

SC#1    "We promise that the Debian system and all its components will be
        free according to these guidelines. (...) We will never make the
        system require the use of a non-free component."

I think that according to this (and this is my interpretation, could be
false), Debian has to provide CD images made of 100% of free and libre
software (to the state of its common knowledge).

Then, if some hardware (and it seems to be the case) needs special
installation CDs, Debian 'can' provide some "tainted" CDs, as it know
provides access to contrib and non-free - being CD's "not part of the
Debian system".

I know that having "unusable free Debian CD's" AND "useable non-free
non-Debian CD's" could eventually lead to the only usage of the latters,
but I am convinced that Social Contract made with the Free Software
Community asks for a 100% Debian system (this includes CD's IMHO).

I don't object having a third non-Debian system archive section, but this
section should not taint the Debian system or its installer.

Regards, 

OdyX

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