Re: Firmware - what are we going to do about it?

[nervuri <nervuri@disroot.org>]

The Debian Social Contract begins with "Debian will remain 100% free".
Changing that is a pretty big deal.  Debian's principled stance on free
software has been one of the main reasons I've been using it for almost
a decade.  I really appreciate the peace of mind of knowing that the
system is 100% free by default.  However, I do use specific non-free
firmware packages for certain devices and it is a pain to find and
install them (which I do by hand, after installing Debian from the
official ISO).

All in all, I'm on board with option 5.  By all means, create the
non-free-firmware archive and include it in the official media.  But
also make it clear to users why proprietary firmware ought to be
avoided.  Add a prompt during installation (similar to the software
selection prompt) and make the best of the educational opportunity that
it provides.  It can begin with a statement on why the Debian Project is
against non-free *ware and it can also mention the security benefits
(and potential pitfalls) of packages like intel-microcode.  Something
like:

```
The hardware devices listed below currently require non-free firmware to
function.  The Debian project advises against the installation of
non-free firmware [insert reasons here], while acknowledging that some
users may require such firmware to use certain devices or to receive
security updates from device vendors.

Select which devices you wish to install non-free firmware for:

  [ ] CPU (device name)
  [ ] Wi-Fi (device name)
  [ ] Bluetooth (device name)
  [ ] Fingerprint reader (device name)

You can change this selection at any time by running [command].  You can
also disable the use of all non-free firmware by selecting the [...]
boot option.
```

Something along these lines would be ideal, I think.