Bug#446028: ITP: tg3dfsg -- firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver
Hi, Robert Edmonds wrote: The only rationale for removing the *firmware* is compliance with GR 2006-004... Am I missing something here? Didn't that GR fail? http://www.debian.org/vote/2006/vote_004 -- Pelle -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#446028: ITP: tg3dfsg -- firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver
On Thu, 2007-10-11 at 09:42 +0200, Per Olofsson wrote: Hi, Robert Edmonds wrote: The only rationale for removing the *firmware* is compliance with GR 2006-004... Am I missing something here? Didn't that GR fail? http://www.debian.org/vote/2006/vote_004 There's no need for a resolution to decide that executable machine code - whether or not you call it firmware[1] - is software. The relevant GR is 2006-007, which decided against making a permanent exception for firmware in the kernel. [1] The term firmware should apply only to software that is installed in non-volatile memory such as ROM or flash, which Debian does not need to distribute. What we're talking about here is software for peripheral processors. Ben. -- Ben Hutchings The program is absolutely right; therefore, the computer must be wrong. signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part
Bug#446028: ITP: tg3dfsg -- firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver
Faidon Liambotis wrote: Robert Edmonds wrote: This package provides the source code for the tg3dfsg kernel module. Kernel source or headers are required to compile this module. This driver complies with GR 2006-004 and should support all Tigon3 hardware except for 5701a0 chipsets. I intend to upload it should linux kernel images be uploaded which lack the tg3 driver. This doesn't sound good. Any reason why your 5701a0-removal patch can't be applied to our kernel packages? Or even better, why the driver can't be converted to use request_firmware() instead of embedding the firmware to the source? There are three hunks of firmware code in the tg3 driver; the other two enable TSO on chipsets which lack TSO firmware in silicon, but AFAIK these chips should function without TSO. (In fact, TSO has been disabled in this driver in the past.) Any modification to the tg3 driver to produce a GR 2006-004 compliant driver would have to diverge from the kernel team's patch acceptance guidelines[0] since upstream is intransigent[1] on making tg3 firmware-free or firmware-optional. The kernel team does not appear to be interested in maintaining such a driver, and it appears future linux kernel source packages will be patched[2] to simply remove the blobs of firmware (I don't know why the driver isn't simply removed entirely since the result does not compile). Obviously, since I and many other users have computers with embedded Tigon3 hardware, I would be delighted if this package were unnecessary. [0] http://wiki.debian.org/DebianKernelPatchAcceptanceGuidelines [1] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.debian.devel.kernel/32543/ [2] http://tinyurl.com/36xr2b, http://tinyurl.com/2u2cu5 -- Robert Edmonds [EMAIL PROTECTED] signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Bug#446028: ITP: tg3dfsg -- firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver
Robert Edmonds wrote: Any modification to the tg3 driver to produce a GR 2006-004 compliant driver would have to diverge from the kernel team's patch acceptance guidelines[0] since upstream is intransigent[1] on making tg3 firmware-free or firmware-optional. The kernel team does not appear to be interested in maintaining such a driver, and it appears future linux kernel source packages will be patched[2] to simply remove the blobs of firmware (I don't know why the driver isn't simply removed entirely since the result does not compile). This seems totally inappropriate. If the driver includes non-free firmwares these should be removed or split up from the driver source, not remove the driver entirely. If what you say is right, the driver *works* for most of the hardware without non-free blobs. Therefore, I can't understand how removing the driver serves our users. Any rationale behind that decision? I feel like I'm arguing for something completely obvious... Regards, Faidon -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#446028: ITP: tg3dfsg -- firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver
Faidon Liambotis wrote: Robert Edmonds wrote: Any modification to the tg3 driver to produce a GR 2006-004 compliant driver would have to diverge from the kernel team's patch acceptance guidelines[0] since upstream is intransigent[1] on making tg3 firmware-free or firmware-optional. The kernel team does not appear to be interested in maintaining such a driver, and it appears future linux kernel source packages will be patched[2] to simply remove the blobs of firmware (I don't know why the driver isn't simply removed entirely since the result does not compile). This seems totally inappropriate. If the driver includes non-free firmwares these should be removed or split up from the driver source, not remove the driver entirely. If what you say is right, the driver *works* for most of the hardware without non-free blobs. Therefore, I can't understand how removing the driver serves our users. That is why I said appear, since I hope that the kernel team has plans for the driver beyond simply eliding it. (I'd like to point out that the equivalent FreeBSD if_bge driver has no firmware blobs.) Any rationale behind that decision? I feel like I'm arguing for something completely obvious... The only rationale for removing the *firmware* is compliance with GR 2006-004... -- Robert Edmonds [EMAIL PROTECTED] signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Bug#446028: ITP: tg3dfsg -- firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver
Package: wnpp Owner: Robert S. Edmonds [EMAIL PROTECTED] Severity: wishlist * Package name: tg3dfsg Version : 3.81 Upstream Author : Various * URL : http://people.debian.org/~edmonds/tg3dfsg/ * License : GPLv2 Programming Lang: C Description : firmware free Broadcom Tigon3 network driver This package provides the source code for the tg3dfsg kernel module. Kernel source or headers are required to compile this module. This driver complies with GR 2006-004 and should support all Tigon3 hardware except for 5701a0 chipsets. I intend to upload it should linux kernel images be uploaded which lack the tg3 driver. -- Robert Edmonds [EMAIL PROTECTED] signature.asc Description: Digital signature
