Re: [GNU-linux-libre] Non-free code found in nouveau-kernel-source

[A.J. Venter]

On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Karl Goetz <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:52:08 +0200
> Rubén Rodríguez Pérez <address@hidden> wrote:
>
>>
>> The package nouveau-kernel-source included in Ubuntu Karmic and Jaunty
>> -thus, inherited by Trisquel Dwyn and Awen- contains the drm modules
>> for the linux kernel, which include several hexadecimal blobs. The non
>> free pieces seem to be in the radeon, mga and nouveau drivers.
>
> Good catch! We'll have to watch out for it when we get to gns 3.
> kk

We should not remove nouveau though, as it is the only free driver
available for nvidia cards and rapidly approaching a state where it
will remove any need even graphics professionals or hardcore gamers
may have for the blob. Nouveau is also much more "correct" as a
GNU/Linux video driver because it uses native kernel DRM support
rather than it's own layer and it supports xRandR 1.2 (nvidia's only
supports 1.0).
If the source package contains unclean blobs from other drivers, those
blobs/drivers should be removed, not the entire package. As far as I
can tell it needs kernel DRM, but it shouldn't need the specific blobs
for those cards, only the core layer as it ads it's own DRM module
(which is not blobbed).

*DRM in this sense is Direct Rendering Manager, no relation to
treacherous computing :P

Ciao
A.J.