Len Sorensen wrote -
> Do [Broadcom] provide a driver that works without a firmware file? Do they
> include sources to any firmware files required? If not they can call it
> GPL all they want, but it still won't be GPL. They wouldn't be the only
> company to make that mistake (For example Sangoma's wanpipe drivers
> claim to be GPL but have vinary only modules and firmware files in
> them).
AFAICT, binary-only firmware is OK, if that blob is redistributable.
That's why hooks to allow user-space firmware loading were added,
it keeps those blobs out of the GPL-covered binary. Not everything on
a Debian CD has to be GPL. The firmware file is "merely aggregated".
This is the situation with my Prism54 wireless card. Supplying the
firmware from the main CPU saves the manufacturer a few bucks and
square cm of board space for the PROM, makes firmware upgrades less
tricky. The only technical downside is the few milliseconds it takes
to schlep the bits onto the card. The legal issues arise if the
manufacturer fails to license the binary for redistribution, then
Debian etc. can't put it on the general-issue CD, and the end-user
has to cajole the file from the manufacturer before they can use the
hardware.
Binary-only modules for the main CPU are, of course, deadly.
- Larry
Attachment:
signature.asc
Description: Digital signature