[Fsuk-manchester] Trisqel, Debian, and non-free firmware (was: Any folks in Manchester interested in participating in an Ubuntu Global Jam event if I were to organise one?)

[Simon Ward]

On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 02:15:30PM +0000, MJ Ray wrote:
> > If an installer does not offer the possibility of installing some 
> > non-free firmware, is it "concealing" that non-free firmware from the 
> > user?  Or is it respecting the user's desire to not be offered an 
> > invitation to the choking world of proprietary software?
> 
> Nice straw man.  Debian's installer has to have a firmware loader
> anyway (some firmware is free software) and so any fully-working
> installer must "offer the possibility" else it would not be free
> software.  Some makes it harder than others.

Free software firmware could be provided on the installation media or in
the repository, and does not need to load it from elsewhere. Admittedly,
that still leaves the user with a problem when the firmware is not
included in Debian, or it is obscure enough not to make it onto the
installation media.

I guess the possibility to should still exist to load firmware from
another medium, but this should come with some warning explaining that
firmware obtained from elsewhere may not be free (and why that’s an
issue) and is not supported.

> And while I'm at this and everyone besides Bob and me is ignoring
> these emails

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

;)

Simon
-- 
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a
simple system that works.—John Gall

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