[GNU-linux-libre] Re: Freedom issues with non-free firmware in external files

[Yavor Doganov]

Karl Goetz wrote:
> Why does the firmware load mechanism need to be disabled? I'd have
> thought leaving it enabled is more likely to encourage development on
> free alternatives (by lowering the barrier to entry when it comes to
> testing them).

Not that I know much about driver and/or firmware development, but
IMHO there is simply not a single person able to hack and implement
free firmware replacement while at the same treating recompilation of
a kernel module as "barrier".

Strictly theoretically speaking, you are right.  But... such a brave
hacker is likely to test his firmware with different kernel versions,
and on different hosts, possibly with different configuration options
that may affect the behavior of the driver.  I cannot say for sure,
but I'm inclined to think that the said hacker is going to resort to
compilation in any case.

Given the harm that leaving the firmware loading mechanism does to the
majority of the users by undermining the cause, I believe it's not an
affordable price to pay to keep it.