-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 I second the below GR proposal.
Friendly, Sven Luther || Overview: || || The Linux kernel source contains device drivers that ship with firmware || files provided by the hardware manufacturer. They are uploaded during || the driver initialization to the corresponding hardware device. || || Some of these binary image files are provided as a hexdump of register || bank settings, others consist in fact of compiled binary code which is || executed on the hardware device. || || Any device driver in the Linux kernel is freely available in source || format and licensed under the GPL2. For many device drivers with || attached firmware, the firmware image is freely distributable along || with the corresponding driver. The most common source format for || firmwares is the hexdump char array. It is almost impossible to || distinguish between register dumps and binary code without asking the || device manufacturer who provided the firmware. || || Removing every firmware which is distributed as hexdump only will || cripple the kernel to an extent where it becomes unusable for most of || our users, because popular network and scsi devices are among the || drivers in question. Without these drivers, the user's system might not || be installable at all. || || || The current situation: || || We achieved a lot of progress compared with the situation in 2.6.8 (the || kernel that shipped with sarge). We were able to convince upstream that || a firmware loader is a good thing, and that firmware and kernel code || should be separated. This firmware loader was added in 2.6.13, and || meanwhile, more than 40 drivers have been converted to the new || infrastructure. However, this is not yet finished, and some important || drivers still use the old method. There will be a day where we can drop || the remaining legacy, but we are not there yet. || || Also, though the firmware loader allows us to put the firmware where it || belongs to (main or non-free, depending on the case), the installer can || as of now only take udebs from main. Fixing this is not too hard, but || it is doubtful whether we can fix this in time for etch, and we do not || want to depend on that (and even then, we still would have non-free || firmware, see above). But since there is lots of hardware which needs || firmware for correct operation, the installer would not work for || mainstream hardware otherwise. || || There are two ways how to deal with it: || 1. Accept these issues as transitional issues for now; or || 2. Delay etch for some serious time. || || || In our social contract, we promised that the users and the free software || community are our priorities. We firmly believe that our users profit || very much from releasing etch in time, and that this is important enough || that we can accept the transitional status with having a few firmware || images left in main that should belong somewhere else. Of course, || everyone who wants to make the number of such firmware images as small || as possible is welcome to help converting old firmware loaders to the || new standard, and working on the Debian installer. We are happy if this || issues become smaller or even vanishes, but we do not want this to be a || release blocker. || || || So, we propose this GR: || || 1. We affirm that our Priorities are our users and the free software || community (Social Contract #4); || 2. We acknowledge that there is a lot of progress in the kernel firmware || issue; however, it is not yet finally sorted out; || 3. We give priority to the timely release of Etch over sorting every bit || out; for this reason, we will deliver firmware in udebs as long as it is || necessary for installation (like all udebs), and firmware included in || the kernel itself as part of Debian Etch, without further conditions. || || || We want to emphasize that the success of this GR is considered as || necessary by the kernel and release team for successfully delivering etch || in time (and to allow us a successful planning of that). || || || on behalf of the kernel- and release team || Frederik Schueler || || -- || ENOSIG -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFE9gVk2WTeT3CRQaQRAkBiAJwMWRklUc4bX6wQJ/o0FFO6ipRRCwCeMgjT AjCrkNmQtTGU/L4ih2SeWEI= =gAca -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
