firmware-atheros & firmware-linux-free
OK,
I did some investigating and found that the carl9170 is included in the
main repository in the firmware-linux-free package. That's great news. I
tested it with a few different USB adapters and things work once
installed.
However I investigated the ath9k_firmware for AR9271 and AR7010 USB N wifi
chipsets and found that its included in firmware-atheros package. It is
not in main because it is not free. However ath9k_htc_open firmware is now
available and is free. I would imagine it should thus be moved to the
firmware-linux-free package.
What I'm curious about is why the firmware-linux-free package which is in
main is not included on installation media or at least as part of the
desktop meta package during installation. I'd consider it a critical
component for desktops/servers and no different than including the kernel
itself. Unlike non-free firmware there are no licensing or guideline
issues that I'm aware of.
Who is packaging the ar9271 / ath9k_htc firmware currently?
Christopher Waid
ThinkPenguin.com-CEO & Founder
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