Re: non-free firmware: driver in main or contrib?

[Brian Thomas Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu>]

"Marco d'Itri" <md@Linux.IT> writes:

> bts@alum.mit.edu wrote:
>
>>Marco, it seems to me that there's a parallel case to non-free
>>firmware: dongleware.  Perhaps you could explain how this philosophy
>>applies to that.  If a piece of software is distributed under the GPL,
>>can I add functionality by putting it into firmware on a dongle and
>>having GCC call that?
> I'm not sure: it may or it may not. If you want my opinion please show
> me a complete example.

Does this mean that if I don't give you a complete example, you'll
stop showing your opinion?

> E.g. I do not consider non-free the openssl code which talks with crypto
> accelerators cards.

Neither do I.  It's a driver.  It requires you to have some hardware
to work.  A mouse driver isn't non-free for people who have no mice.


-Brian

-- 
Brian Sniffen                                       bts@alum.mit.edu