Re: Debian's Linux kernel continues to regress on freedom

[Sven Luther <sven@powerlinux.fr>]

On Wed, Sep 12, 2007 at 12:39:05AM -0400, Nathanael Nerode wrote:
> I'm not sure I can take the Debian kernel team seriously any more.
> 
> http://wiki.debian.org/KernelFirmwareLicensing states, in part:
> >Debian kernel team identifies the following three types of firmware, currently
> >found in the Linux kernel:
> >
> >1. Sourceless binary blobs with no license, no explicit permission to 
> >redistribute, or
> >   an explicit prohibition to redistribute.
> >
> >   This category currently includes the dabusb, dgrs, emi62, keyspan, smctr,
> >   cops, emi26, and 3c359 drivers. Removal of these drivers will have minimal
> >   impact on the users, as they are believed to be unpopular and not likely to
> >   be required during the installation.
> ....
> >It has been agreed within Debian kernel team, that the firmware in category 1
> >is not acceptable in Debian. It is the intention of the kernel team to prune the
> >affected drivers from the upstream tarball.
> 
> The most recent linux-source-2.6.22 contains the following files:
> 
> drivers/media/video/dabfirmware.h
> drivers/net/drgs_firmware.c
> drivers/usb/misc/emi26_fw.h
> drivers/usb/misc/emi62_fw_m.h 
> drivers/usb/misc/emi62_fw_s.h
> drivers/usb/serial/keyspan_mpr_fw.h
> drivers/usb/serial/keyspan_usa*_fw.h (11 files)
> drivers/net/tokenring/smctr_firmware.h
> drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ltdrv.h
> drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h
> drivers/net/tokenring/3c359_microcode.h
> 
> In other words, *all* of the above drivers.  It's even worse than that.  Look
> at the information about drgs:
> 

Hi, ...

Given the way i was attacked when this issue came back last year, and
the sabotaging of my effort to go in a right direction, and prepare a GR
that could be used to build on and approach the hardware manufacturers,
how do you expect anything to have changed ? Especially since i was
expulsed from debian since then, and in general censored from all lists,
and expulsed and shuned by the few remaining active kernel team members.

Friendly,

Sven Luther