Re: Changing how we handle non-free firmware
Hi Iain!
On Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 10:34:20AM +0100, Iain Lane wrote:
>On Thu, Aug 18, 2022 at 08:58:21PM +0100, Steve McIntyre wrote:
>> =================================
>>
>> We will include non-free firmware packages from the
>> "non-free-firmware" section of the Debian archive on our official
>> media (installer images and live images). The included firmware
>> binaries will *normally* be enabled by default where the system
>> determines that they are required, but where possible we will include
>> ways for users to disable this at boot (boot menu option, kernel
>> command line etc.).
>>
>> When the installer/live system is running we will provide information
>> to the user about what firmware has been loaded (both free and
>> non-free), and we will also store that information on the target
>> system such that users will be able to find it later. The target
>> system will *also* be configured to use the non-free-firmware
>> component by default in the apt sources.list file. Our users should
>> receive security updates and important fixes to firmware binaries just
>> like any other installed software.
>>
>> We will publish these images as official Debian media, replacing the
>> current media sets that do not include non-free firmware packages.
>>
>> =================================
>
>Seconded.
>
>As a potential tweak:
>
>The text says that we will include ways to disable this at *boot time*;
>how about being explicit that we will provide ways to disable at
>*installation time* too? Arguably this is implied by '[t]he target
>system will *also* be configured to use the non-free-firmware component
>_by default_ …' already but I think we could stand to be more concrete
>about that.
Hmmm, maybe. To clarify: are you thinking about:
* adding an option to not install the firmware while the installation
happens; or
* adding a (boot?) option to not load it once the new system is
installed and booted
? I'm not sure the latter is much use, so I'm thinking you mean the
former. I think we can do that (in expert mode / low-prio debconf
question?) as part of what we're looking at, but I'm not 100% sure it
necessarily has to be spelled out in this much detail in the GR?
--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. steve@einval.com
"You can't barbecue lettuce!" -- Ellie Crane
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