[Gnewsense-dev] [gNewSense-users] Add/Remove... suggestion to install or work, with non-free software

[Christophe Jarry]

As ndiswrapper issue has been discussed a long time without a definitive 
choice on whether removing it or not, Samy and i wrote to RMS to have 
his opinion on the subject.

address@hidden a écrit :
>
> Bonjour Christophe, Richard,
>
>>Christophe Jarry wrote:
>>>
>>>Hello,
>>>
>>>I'm a gNewSense user and contributer and there is currently a debate 
on removing
>>> (or not) ndiswrapper software. The latest message in this thread 
can be found
>>> at 
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnewsense-users/2009-05/msg00207.html.
>>>My personal opinion is, as ndiswrapper is free software and doesn't 
oblige
>>>you to install non-free stuff (as non-free blobs do), it should stay 
in our
>>> repo. Hence, freedom 0 is respected: i can do whatever i want with 
it, even
>>> load non-free windows drivers.
>>>
>>>What do you think we should do?
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>
>>>Christophe
>
> Selon rms <address@hidden>:
>>
>> diswrapper is free software, but if I understand right, its only
>> use is for running non-free drivers.  Is that correct?
>>
>> If that is true, then even though the program is free, we might want
>> to remove it so as not to grant legitimacy to the use of those
>> non-free drivers.
>
> ndiswrapper is a practical workaround aimed to make possible the use of
> unsupported driver (e.g. for wireless chips). However, it's a short term
> workaround, and, in my opinion, a no-solution, considering the 
avantages of open
> licensed alternatives. Since the source of the technical problem is the
> no-disclosure of the source code of the wifi-drivers by the 
manufacturers, we
> should:
> - make pressure on the manufacturers and convince them to free their 
code,
> - reverse engineer that code
> - test, document, and debug free solutions
> - give the preference to alternative chips
> - promote alternative hardware sold with free (wireless, etc.) devices
> - etc.
> Therefore, including ndiswrapper in gnewsense doesnt make sense, if 
we want to
> be coherent with the objectives of the project.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Samy
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