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Re: radeonhd removed from Testing ... in February, still gone?



Carl Fink wrote:

>> Some ATI cards need "firmware-linux-nonfree" package to enable 3D
>> acceleration:
> 
> I figured that out, but installing it had no effect. And if it's
> required WHY AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT OUT? 

> Why isn't it a
> dependency for the fglrx or radeon packages?

Because the xserver still works without the firmware package. It just does not
benefit from the acceleration that DRI offers. 

Next qestion will be: 
   Why is the firmware package not installed by default in the first place?
Answer:
   Because the licence of the firmware is barely acceptable in debian. 
   That is, what the "nonfree" in the name is about. As it happens,
   Debian as a project tries to depend as little as possible on nonfree
   software.


> Or at least pop up a message telling me it might be needed?

I got a pop-up notice when I installed the radeon package on my desktop.
Maybe, you missed it?


>> Magic is scarce in these days and your linux box needs a bit of user
>> action to be properly setup, mainly when it comes to configure VGA
>> cards :-)
> 
> That's the wrong attitude, in my totally non-humble opinion.

You probably never set up a linux desktop back when xorg was still 
called xfree... ;-)


> Look at BlueTooth. Here's what I had to do to get BlueTooth working
> on my netbook:

Manufacturers do not make such a fuss about the interface
to blue tooth devices as they do with graphic cards. AMD, nvidia and
to an extent Intel too, treat the full command set to drive their 
chips like corporate secrets.


> I know video card makers don't make things
> simple, but that should be the target for all Debian hardware support.

Guess what, it actually is the goal for Debian -- It just happens, that 
the manufacturers... :-P

---<)kaimartin(>---
-- 
Kai-Martin Knaak
Öffentlicher PGP-Schlüssel:
http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x6C0B9F53


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