Re: [GNU-linux-libre] The "Free" Kernel In Debian Squeeze

[Alexandre Oliva]

On Dec 19, 2010, Richard Stallman <address@hidden> wrote:

>     Now, if the latter approach (mangling blob names in the request, but not
>     in the source code per se) is acceptable, an even simpler approach might
>     work: one with even greater odds of being accepted upstream: introducing
>     some means for userland to tell the kernel which pieces of firmware are
>     available, so that the kernel does not even ask for those that aren't.

> I don't see how that helps.  Whether Linux gets a list of available
> firmware from a certain directory or in some other way, the issues
> remain (1) what it does when it wants a firmware program that is not
> present and (2) whether the source code shows the name of that
> firmware program.

The proposal above would still show the name of the firmware programs in
source code.  I'm not sure they have to be mangled or removed from the
sources, because sources are, in a way, passive.  I was focused on
fixing the problem of actively recommending non-Free Software through
request_firmware.

Per the idea above, if the kernel is not told that a certain piece of
firmware is available, it won't issue requests for it, and it will only
report an error that firmware is missing: same as currently, minus the
unsatisfyable request for a "/*(DEBLOBBED)*/" firmware file.

-- 
Alexandre Oliva, freedom fighter    http://FSFLA.org/~lxoliva/
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Gandhi
Be Free! -- http://FSFLA.org/   FSF Latin America board member
Free Software Evangelist      Red Hat Brazil Compiler Engineer