Re: Preparing linux-2.6 2.6.18-1
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On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:58:14 +0200 Frederik Schueler wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 20, 2006 at 06:16:32PM -0700, Steve Langasek wrote:
> > On Wed, Sep 20, 2006 at 03:38:50PM +0200, Frederik Schueler wrote:
> > > Second: this release contains ALL binary firmware blobs shipped
> > > upstream, even those we kept pruning since the day Herbert Xu
> > > removed them the first time in 2004.
> >
> > What in the world? Why would you do that anyway?
>
> because removing firmwares without an adequate alternative means not
> considering the needs of our users which rely on these firmware blobs
> to run their hardware, and thus IMHO conflicts with section 4 of the
> social contract.
>
>
> > Neither is introducing regressions in the freeness of our kernel
> > packages relative to sarge.
>
> pruning the firmware without an alternative was wrong in the first
> place, this step just fixes that error.
>
>
> > Indeed, taking such a step is likely to lead many voters
> > to think that the only way to prevent the kernel team from filling
> > our kernel packages with as much non-free code as they can stuff
> > into it is by voting down any GRs that would relax our stance on
> > firmware. *THAT* would cause release delays.
>
> This would be a gross overreaction, and if this happens, I will opt
> for moving linux-2.6 to non-free until the firmware issue is sorted
> out *completely* with upstream and the hardware vendors.
I honestly believe that moving linux-2.6 to non-free hurts our users
more than stripping non-free parts of the Debian-precompiled kernel.
Also, section 4 of the SC talks equally about users and free software,
not users above free software. Then again, you can argue that binary
blobs are not software, so the section is really about users above
"anything but what you choose to define as software"... :-P
But wait: If our main concern is "our users and free software", and
binary blobs are not software, then users of binary blobs are not *our*
users, and we don't favor them.
Let the flamewar continue - I promise to not respond any more to this
thread!
- Jonas
- --
* Jonas Smedegaard - idealist og Internet-arkitekt
* Tlf.: +45 40843136 Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
- Enden er nær: http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm
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