Re: Firmware - what are we going to do about it?
Hakan Bayındır <hakan.bayindir@tubitak.gov.tr> writes:
> As everybody knows, Debian is also releasing the said firmware as
> compressed archives and these are visible in the download page [0],
> however usage and documentation is neither clearly documented, nor easy
> for the beginners or casual users.
> Considering most users are doing installs over USB, and official Debian
> ISOs are hybrid by default, how the following plan feels?
> 1) Document the use of ZIP files for firmware introduction during install
> more clearly and prominently,
> 2) Make these ZIP archives much more accessible via links and prominent
> placement,
> 3) Document creation of a USB drive which is both bootable and has
> writable space for extra files
> 4) Write another document detailing adding these ZIP files to the said
> media in 3,
> 5) Profit by allowing people to assemble their own installation media with
> firmware blobs if they see the need.
I've been a Debian Developer for quite some time and can usually manage to
figure out most tasks like this, and providing separate firmware to the
installer has completely defeated me every time I've tried it. I've spent
frustrated hours trying to follow the documentation and doing things that
look right only to have the installer say that there's no firmware visible
without any clue as to how to debug the errors. Every time I have tried
this, I have eventually given up and found the non-free images, which just
worked.
If this is going to be the solution, it has to be WAY easier to do.
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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