Re: Release team position on the state of kernel firmware, post GR2006-007

[Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr>]

On Fri, Oct 20, 2006 at 08:46:29PM -0700, Thomas Bushnell BSG wrote:
> Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org> writes:
> 
> > As mentioned above, it was discovered late in the process that three firmware
> > images included in the upstream kernel that are relevant to the installer are
> > not distributed under clearly DFSG-compliant licenses: tg3, typhoon, and
> > acenic.  Of these, only typhoon was in sarge; tg3 and acenic had been removed
> > from the kernel and have since been readded.
> 
> If tg3 and acenic were not in sarge, then including them would
> represent a regression in freedom.  The resolution permits keeping
> things around which don't meet our standards of freeness, but it does
> not permit adding new things.

Thomas, the resolution does not allow to keep things around which don't meet
our standard of freeness. It clearly states that firmwares without DFSG-free
licenses have to go (the interpretation here is that the text says that
sourceless versions of DFSG-free firmwares have to go).

Friendly,

Sven Luther