Hello People at -vote,
At the mailinglist -boot was this message:
On Mon, Sep 18, 2006 at 11:35:51AM -0400, Nathanael Nerode wrote:
> Joey Hess wrote:
> >
> > d-i already supports driver disks, see floppy-retriever and the code in
> > hw-detect to prompt for a driver floppy if necessary hardware is not
> > detected.
>
> And apparently net-retriever handles this correctly too.
>
> > Even extending this to support USB and CDs does not cover all cases,
>
> But should be done. :-) Is this not supported yet?
>
> > my
> > outline in the post above includes some points where this approach will
> > fail.
>
> If the machine needs firmware in order to load the installation media under
> Linux, this cannot be solved except by making a non-free installer image.
[1]
> It is a theoretical impossibility, because in this case the firmware must
> be loaded by something outside the installer proper. In fact, in most
> cases the only things loaded in this form are the kernel and the initramfs
> (loaded by the BIOS) and so to deal with this case the firmware must be
> included in one of them. (In the initramfs case with loadable firmware
> this further means that udev must run in the initramfs, which is not
> ready.)
>
> So just *forget* that case, since it's not solvable. If there exists a form
> of installation media which does *not* need firmware loaded in order for
> Linux to use it, then put the firmware on that media, load it, and
> continue.
>
> Consider this case: the solvable case. What actual problems can you
> identify with this case? It appears to be 90% implemented. I see *no*
> places where this approach will fail, excepting the impossible case, and
> you haven't identified any such places either. Your outline includes no
> points where it will fail except the impossible case: I counted. :-)
>
I'm not able to dive into the discussion of the GR for non-free firmware.
Things I have see of it, are "solutions".
What I not have see is a voting option like
[ ] Just document how to (re)build with non free drivers.
I would like to see such an option. My main reason for it is
my main reason for investing time in Debian: Free Software
Spending time on non-free software, can't be spend on free software.
Those who need the non-free firmware can use the free software to build
the parts they need. Making integration of non-free drivers easy
will help that there will be such drivers much longer.
The problem of non-free drivers is a problem of the hardware manufactors
who didn't yet find a bisnesmodel to cope with free software, it is
surely not a problem for Debian.
For those who think it is Debian problem: It is allready fixed.
Sources to (re)build Debian software are allready available,
just include the non-free parts.
People of Debian-Vote@lists.debian.org:
Please add a votable option like
[ ] Just document how to (re)build with non free drivers.
Cheers
Geert Stappers <stappers@debian.org>
Not subscribed to -vote@l.d.o. and BCC-ing -boot to move this
GR proposal discussion to -vote.
> this cannot be solved except by making a non-free installer image.
[1] So what? Allow people to make non-free installer images.
Just avoid that Debian is providing non-free stuff.
Create awareness about non-free software issues.
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