Re: Should ipw2100-source be in contrib?

[Guido Trotter <ultrotter@quaqua.net>]

On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 08:01:51PM -0400, Nathanael Nerode wrote:

Hi,

> >> The code for ipw2100 is free software. To load the driver you'll need a
> >> firmware which is non-free and subject to an EULA (for details see
> >> http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net/firmware.php?fid=2). Debian cannot thus
> >> distribute this thing (the firmware), neither in main nor in non-free.
> >> 
> >> Now the point is: the source code itself doesn't need the firmware to
> >> be built, but the resulting modules are completely useless without it.
> >> 
> >> So should this package go in contrib, or is it allowed to stay in main?
> > 
> > If the modules without the firmware are usable for any hardware (such as
> > a version of the hardware that has the firmware permanently stored in
> > it), the modules can stay in main, since at least some users can use it
> > without installing non-free software.  If the modules cannot operate any
> > piece of hardware without the non-free firmware, the modules must go in
> > contrib.
> 
> Um, "what he said", just so you know it's not just his opinion.
> I think there's consensus on this; it's basically what 'contrib' was
> invented for.
> 

Thanks for the clarification...

So, since there is no hardware that can be operated by this driver without
its proprietary firmware (at least from what the upstream site says[1]) I'm 
raising the severity of this bug to "serious"...

Thanks,

Guido

[1] http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net/ tells the firmware is a requirement,
and doesn't list any exception