Josh Triplett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - Mon, Oct 18, 2004: > I don't believe you can. In order to distribute software under the GPL, > we must provide the "preferred form for modification" of that software, > which is the source. From your description, it sounds like such source > exists but is not being distributed. This means that we do not have the > preferred form for modification available, so we cannot make it > available to others, which means we can't satisfy our obligations under > the GPL, and therefore we cannot distribute the software at all.
<silly>What makes you think there's a program in firmware-xyz.bin?</silly> I think you should re-read my mail, I'm talking about two different programs: a linux driver, with some utilities, with some data you're usually interested to send (for example a logo to display on a LCD) but that only affect a non-Debian system; *AND* a firmware program, that might or might not be a program (what if it is a configuration file?). Now, we both know the firmware is certainly a program too, but it is not the same program: for a Debian system running the drivers, this is mere data. I know this is an ambiguous position, and I'm sorry I have to take it, but think for a minute the modem would be running on a ROM and not a RAM, or on a Flash! We wouldn't have to send that binary blob that we don't need to worry about when it's already there. Regards, -- Loïc Minier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>