Re: lcs.o for 2.4.2?
On Wed, Feb 28, 2001 at 03:11:23PM -0600, jdorse - James Dorsey wrote:
> Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 15:11:23 -0600
> From: jdorse - James Dorsey <jdorse@ACXIOM.COM>
> Subject: Re: lcs.o for 2.4.2?
> To: LINUX-390@VM.MARIST.EDU
>
> No, you don't understand..
You might be right. I might be wrong. Maybe we just disagree.
I do agree that this needs discussion: perhaps on debian-devel, debian-legal or
debian-s390 when we get that far.
However I don't believe in crossing bridges until I get there.
and I'm not there yet.
> nothing non-free can be distributed in Debian's "main" archive..
OK
> if this is needed to get the machine up and running (which
> kernel modules usually are)
> then it can't be in the "extra" non-free and contrib archives.
I didn't see *that* statement. Perhaps you could point me closer.
I agree that OCO is not DFSG.
I see no reason why the OCO modules as wrapped by IBM could not be included
in non-free as per Social-Contract, §5 . Their usage and License are well defined.
The OCO modules may be redistributed, provided that the IBM License
stays with it, and that the user agrees to abide by it.
The "User Agreement" can be satisfied by a "click-through" or "I agree" script.
(example: The SuSE-Install-routines do this if you choose an OCO module.)
The lcs and qeth modules are the only OCO modules at the moment.
I am not aware of any others in the pipeline which would be *mandatory* such
that the kernel wouldn't boot if you didn't have one. Even if that were the case,
I haven't yet found the statement "if this is needed to get the machine up and running".
You can get "a machine up and running" without them.
It might not have the functionality you would idealy like to have.
Debian does not *have* to host the OCO-blah.tgz modules if Debian
should decide not to.
If the Installer decides he needs an OCO module, then either it's on
the CD, on the net, or he picks it up from IBM direct per "click-through".
Q: How does he install the network if he doesn't have a net driver?
A: by preparing/using an initrd containing the OCO code & license & "I Agree" script
If Debian doesn't supply this (and I think we will) then it will/should supply
instructions how to locate/download/unpack the OCO-module, where to put it,
and a script to prepare an initrd containing the (new) OCO code.
Q: are there any other ways?
A: CTC/ESCON/IUCV works and is non-OCO, (but not everybody can use it).
I haven't finished checking out the tape support.
Q: Is it nice?
A: No
Feel free to contact me off-list if you want to continue the discussion,
I don't want to bore the others with debianisms.
Richard
--
Real men don't take backups. They put their source on a public
FTP-server and let the world mirror it. ===Linus Torvalds===
Have a nice day ;-) Richard Higson mailto:richard.higson@gt.owl.de
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