Re: Bug#239952: kernel-source-2.6.4: qla2xxx contains non-freefirmware
- To: debian-legal@lists.debian.org
- Subject: Re: Bug#239952: kernel-source-2.6.4: qla2xxx contains non-freefirmware
- From: Nathanael Nerode <neroden@twcny.rr.com>
- Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 06:48:11 -0400
- Message-id: <[🔎] c4op59$tav$3@sea.gmane.org>
- References: <c48nae$nah$1@sea.gmane.org> <87isgngtlh.fsf@kreon.lan.henning.makholm.net> <87r7vbfc7e.fsf@kreon.lan.henning.makholm.net> <20040329.204700.07645471.wlandry@ucsd.edu> <87zn9zko9y.fsf@kreon.lan.henning.makholm.net>
Henning Makholm wrote:
> Scripsit Walter Landry <wlandry@ucsd.edu>
>> Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net> wrote:
>
>> > A side question: Does -legal think that it would be OK for Debian to
>> > distribute *checksums* of the non-free magic blob-of-bits, such that
>> > it can be located inside a Windows driver on a disk without needing to
>> > know its exact position?
>
>> A SHA1 checksum is 160 bits or 20 bytes. This sentence is longer than
>> that. I would say that it isn't copyrightable,
>
> I agree about that, of course. I was imagining that someone might
> complain that we woundn't be providing "source" for those 20 bytes,
> but it seems I wasn't communicating that clearly enough.
Heh. Let's think about this.
You can replace it with a different, modified checksum based on a different
magic blob; would anyone ever want to do anything else with the *checksum*?
That seems sufficient to be the "preferred form for modification" from my
point of view (as long as the checksum generator is free software). So
yes, I think the checksum constitutes its own source for DFSG purposes.
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