@ 18/06/2004 05:45 : wrote Andreas Barth :
* Josh Triplett ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) [040617 23:55]:
> Matthew Wilcox wrote: > >> You speak as if this has no negative effects. In fact, it does. >> By removing, let's say, the tg3 driver, you make Debian unusable >> for a large percentage of users. Those users turn to other >> distributions >> > Usefulness is not an excuse for distributing non-free sofware, or > for violating the GPL or any other license; at one point, many > people "needed" netscape, but that doesn't mean netscape should > have been in main. In any case, the tg3 driver works fine without > the firmware on most cards it supports; the firmware is only > needed in a few cases.
Please seperate two issues: 1. Are we distributing undistributalbe files?
1.a. Yes. Some of the firmware are there without a proper redistributable license.
1.b. But not in the case where the firmware is there with a redistributable albeit non-free license. In this case, the file *is* *distributable* because _nor_ is the firmware derivative of the kernel _nor_ /vice-versa/.
1.c. The question is still open where the firmware is there, properly GPL-licensed by its copyright owner but without source. Flamewars^WEnlightening discussions follow if it's the preferred form for modification or not.
2. Are we distributing non-free files in main?
In the cases b and c above? Yes.
This discussion was about 1., not about 2.
Cheers, Andi
-- br,M
