Bug#1105145: ITP: linux-board-support-package-rb3gen2 -- Firmware for RB3Gen2

[Roger Shimizu <rosh@debian.org>]

Thanks for your feedback, Ben!

On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 8:21 PM Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 2025-05-12 at 19:33 -0700, Roger Shimizu wrote:
> > [ update Dmitry's email ]
> >
> > Dear Ben,
> >
> > Thanks for your feedback!
> >
> > On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 7:05 PM Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Mon, 2025-05-12 at 01:02 -0700, Roger Shimizu wrote:
> > > > Package: wnpp
> > > > Severity: wishlist
> > > > Owner: Roger Shimizu <rosh@debian.org>
> > > > X-Debbugs-Cc: debian-devel@lists.debian.org, rosh@debian.org
> > > >
> > > > * Package name    : linux-board-support-package-rb3gen2
> > > >   Version         : 1.1
> > > >   Upstream Author : Linaro
> > > > * URL             :
> > > > https://artifacts.codelinaro.org/ui/native/qli-ci/flashable-binaries/ubuntu-fw
> > > > * License         : non-free
> > > >   Description     : Binary firmware for Qualcomm Robotics RB3 Gen2
> > > >
> > > >  This package contains the binary firmware for the QCS6490, which is the main
> > > >  SoC on the Robotics RB3 Gen2.
> > >
> > > Is there a reason this can't go into linux-firmware.git (and then into
> > > src:firmware-nonfree) like the firmware for similar Qualcomm SoCs?
> >
> > linux-firmware.git are from upstream kernel, and I think only device
> > driver goes into it.
>
> linux-firmware.git is for device firmware that may be requested by
> drivers in upstream Linux.  Several files in the above tarball seem to
> belong there.
>
> > For linux-board-support-package-* packages, it includes such as blob
> > for bootloader, etc, which is not open sourced yet.
> > The main purpose for this ITP is to create the install media for Qualcomm SoC.
> > Except the install media, probably there's not much use for those blobs.
>
> OK, so you should:
>
> - Make this package contain *only* the boot loader and other non-free
> blobs that run on the host, with a description that does not mention
> "firmware".
>
> - Submit the device firmware to linux-firmware.git, so it can go into
> firmware-nonfree.  (Or preferably get someone at Qualcomm to do that.)

Understood.
Qualcomm already upstreamed the firmware as much as possible.
I'm not sure why there're still a few blobs not upstreamed, or not accepted yet.
Before those get accepted, I think it's ok to keep it in this
non-free-firmware package.
When one firmware gets accepted, I can remove to ship that specific
blob from this package.

Cheers,
Roger