Bug#684968: debian-installer: requests non-free firmware for a device that works just as well without it

[Bjørn Mork <bjorn@mork.no>]

Stefan Nagy <public@stefan-nagy.at> writes:

> Am Mittwoch, den 15.08.2012, 20:21 +0200 schrieb Bjørn Mork:
>> The driver firmware request is required to enable those who want to load
>> the optional firmware. Just ignore it if you don't want to.
>
> I'm not saying debian installer shouldn't recommend / ask for non-free
> firmware at all [1] but I do care about my freedom as software user.
>
> My notebook has an Intel WLAN adapter and a Realtek NIC – debian
> installer tells me in both cases that my hardware needs proprietary
> software to operate even if the consequences of not installing the
> non-free firmware are completely different. My WLAN adapter doesn't work
> at all when I decide not to install the firmware.
>
> I don't think that it's a good solution to seperate non-free firmware
> just to tell users to provide it while installation process. In my
> opinion debian (installer) should provide more information about the
> concrete consequences of not installing a specific firmware file: Will
> the device work at all? What are the probable limitations?
>
> Debian (installer) should enable users to make a decision here. Instead
> right now it seems like the safe way in each and every case is to
> install proprietary firmware – and everyone who decides not to install
> it is on his/her own.
>
> This is just my opinion (and that's why I reported this bug with
> severity: wishlist).

This makes a lot of sense and I do agree with your view.

But unless I miss something, I don't think it is currently possible for
the installer to implement anything like this.  The kernel firmware
interface allow the drivers to request firmware, but there is no way for
the firmware loader to know what the driver will do if the request
fails.  In some cases the driver will just continue, possibly with
reduced functionality or known firmware bugs unpatched, in other cases
the driver will attempt to load alternate firmware.  And in quite a few
cases, the driver cannot continue because the device requires the
loadable firmware to function at all. Like your WLAN card.

The driver will know these differences, but the firmware loader (and
therefore the installer) will not.

So your wishlist should go to the upstream kernel developers.  Maybe the
request_firmware API should be extended to indicate the drivers failure
mode to the loader, allowing the loader to present this information to
the end user?


Bjørn