This repository can follow some common rules so different HALs wouldn't be completely different and we would have some control over it.
That is what we did in the past to handle devices (mostly wireless devices) that required a firmware download each time they booted. We kept the open-but-proprietary firmware in a separate repository known to the build system (Since that repository is not generally available I imagine that those old parts are no longer usable). The disconnection of the OS from the supported repository was ultimately fatal.
