Re: Bug#239952: kernel-source-2.6.4: qla2xxx contains non-free firmware
On Mar 25, Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au> wrote:
> However even when the device does contain copies of the firmware in
> their ROM, it is probably out-of-date and/or buggy. Therefore in
> either case removal of the firmware will render the driver useless.
> At best they'll have to go into contrib.
I disagree. The driver is fully functional and should stay in main,
it's the hardware which may not work without until the firmware has been
loaded.
Refusing to distribute firmware files is just hypocrisy, because
everyone of us has some non-free firmware in his own computer.
I also oppose this on practical grounds, more and more essential
hardware wants its firmware to be loaded by the host CPU (because it's
the right thing to do when designing hardware, if it's not needed for
boot the the flash RAM on the device is wasted).
qla2xxx is not the only driver in debian which contains a firmware, BTW.
--
ciao, |
Mneedsarco | [5341 l'm9tNBMIc6Yg]
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