Re: Changing how we handle non-free firmware
On Thu, Aug 25, 2022 at 06:36:36PM +0000, Andrew M.A. Cater wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 25, 2022 at 08:18:55AM -0700, Ross Vandegrift wrote:
> > Hi Bart,
> >
> > On Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 10:12:48AM +0200, Bart Martens wrote:
> > > The Debian project is permitted to make distribution media (installer images
> > > and live images) containing packages from the non-free section of the Debian
> > > archive available for download alongside with the free media in a way that the
> > > user is informed before downloading which media are the free ones.
> >
> > Do you mean that official or unofficial media can contain packages from
> > non-free?
> >
> > If you mean official media, this is more radical than Steve's proposal.
> > It would permit arbitrary non-free packages as long as users were
> > informed.
> >
> > If you mean unofficial media - that's the status quo. In which case,
> > this option is the same as Simon's and none of the above.
> >
> > Ross
> >
>
> /packages from the non-free *firmware* section/
My proposal does not add such new section ...
>
> This is _only_ firmware and not arbitrary non-free packages. It's not drivers
> per se.
... does not make such distinction ...
>
> The "official" and "unofficial" media are currently prepared by the same
> team on the same machines. The "unofficial" media contains non-free firmware
> (and drivers of all sorts, potentially, that go wider than firmware).
>
> IMHO, they're both official - one is free + free firmware, one is free+non-free
> firmware.
... and does not change the meaning and scope of "official".
>
> Steve's proposal is strictly limited to firmware, here, and there is a
> separate non-free firmware portion of the archive that was created at
> Debconf22 in Pristina.
Steve's proposal is adding non-free firmware in our currently free installer.
Introducing a new section in the archive doesn't change that.
My proposal focuses on one thing: helping our users find the installer they
need for their hardware by no longer hiding our non-free installers. This
applies to the existing non-free installers and also to the new kind of
installer Steve has in mind. So our free installer remains free.
>
> All best, as ever,
>
> Andy Cater
>
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