Re: Status of non-free firmware
On Thu, May 25, 2006 at 03:51:02PM +0200, Andreas Barth wrote:
> Hi,
>
> at least I forgot what the current status is. For this reason, I'm
> asking where we are. Please don't take that as I trying to push you or
> something, but rather as a "please do cluebat me". :)
Current decision seem to re-add those firmwares whose licencing does not
prohibit their licence again in main.
There is a linux-non-free-modules or something such package, which build those
modules in non-free, and which Bastian would be best placed to answer.
There seem to be some progress on the d-i front to be able to load those
non-free firmware from a second anna source, but this is not being used yet.
> And, I would be interested (if there exists or is not too much effort to
> create) in a list where blobs is marked as "essential" if some boards
> don't run/have cd/hard disk/network without, and where it's marked
> whether the firmware runs on the host CPU or somewhere else.
What has this to do with anything ? none of those firmware run on the host
CPU, but on the embedded arm or mips or whatever core embedded in the device.
We have to face it, most modern computers with advanced I/O cards are actually
non-symetric multi-processor machines, with the main processor doing the
common task, and some specialized I/O processors doing I/O tasks.
So, altough the firmware in question being non-free doesn't disrupt the
kernel's GPL, it is still code without source and as thus non-free.
Friendly,
Sven Luther
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