@juergh maybe it would be better simply reuse debian packaging practice for linux-firmware? Please also look at LP bug #1958518 - this issue is solved in Debian a long time ago:
metapackage https://packages.debian.org/sid/firmware-linux depends on small firmware-linux-free package and firmware-linux-nonfree metapackage metapackage https://packages.debian.org/sid/firmware-linux-nonfree depends on most useful "nonfree" firmware, including this pretty firmware-misc-nonfree package (takes only ~40 MB after installation, instead of ~900MB sized of Ubuntu's linux-firmware): https://packages.debian.org/sid/firmware-misc-nonfree For example netronome network adapters firmware is packaged separately in Debian, see https://packages.debian.org/sid/firmware-netronome Someone from Ubuntu developers decided simply put all useful and almost not used firmware into huge package, which is updated very often and this causes a lot of problems for users, especially who uses SSD storage or slow internet connection :( For example see bug #1972806 - simple change of some device firmware (few kilobytes size) requires to download ~250MB linux-firmware package for *every* Ubuntu user. This is a nonsense and waste of bandwidth and other resources. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Kernel Packages, which is subscribed to linux-firmware in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1967858 Title: Make arch specific linux-firmware Status in linux-firmware package in Ubuntu: In Progress Status in linux-firmware source package in Mantic: In Progress Bug description: There are many kernel modules that only exist on some architectures. Yet linux-firmware is an arch:all package that ships firmware for all drivers, for all architectures. For example, it is pointless to ship many Intel firmware on non-x86 machines. At the same time it is pointless to ship many Qualcomm firmware on non-arm machines. Or shipping nvidia firmware on architectures that have no Nvidia drivers. Or shipping wifi firmware on IBM Z / PowerPC. It seems like we should build-depend on linux / linux-oem kernels and only install relevant firmware files on relevant architectures only. To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware/+bug/1967858/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kernel-packages Post to : kernel-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kernel-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
