Re: Don't understand the trouble with firmware !
On Wed, 2004-05-26 at 10:49, Francesco P. Lovergine wrote:
> Sorry Ben, but this kind of issues with processors are a bit more
> substantial than any firmware problem for graphic cards support.
> You can always install debian in that case and solve X support problems
> in a second time. That could be impossible for processor firmwares.
> I'd like simply to see some reasonable execeptions too general rules
> considered by policy to avoid substantial problems in a not too
> far bad future...
I don't buy this. Why would it be impossible for processor firmwares?
Surely this is just an implementation detail. Processor firmwares would
land squarely in non-free. Installation disks including those firmwares
would be non-free. Those *choosing* to run Debian on a non-free
firmware could do so with non-free installation disks. What is the big
problem?
> But again it's a problem of pragmatism vs ideology :)
With in Debian there is a blend of both. Any Debian developer can work
on non-free packages. That is their prerogative. Those packages just
won't be a part of Debian. Scary stories about how hypothetical evil
firmwares for CPUs could make Debian fade to irrelevance in the future
are FUD, plain and simple.
> So I had the damn suspect there's not a solution acceptable for all.
> Let the majority express its idea and go ahead, without discussing
> for ever on the angels sex.
There is the same solution there always has been: keep the non-free
material out of Debian. Let the users make the choice. If they want to
use non-free, let them. But as for Debian main, it remains entirely
Free.
Regards,
Ben
--
synrg at debian dot org
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