Hi again, I've been watching the discussion and the separation of firmware from kernel sources with a lot of interest, but today it dawned on me that, even if this project is completed, it wouldn't quite address the issue of compliance with Debian procedures and regulations.
I understand main is supposed to be self-contained, and not depend on software in contrib (or non-free, for that matter). My understanding is that portions of the Debian system that depend on non-Free Software, in spite of being Free themselves, belong in contrib, not in main. If my understanding above is correct, then kernel drivers that require on non-Free firmware should not be in main, but rather in contrib, and the non-Free firmware itself (if shipped at all) ought to be in non-free. But Debian needs a kernel in main, because pretty much all other pieces of software in there depend on a kernel to work. Therefore, in order to be self-contained, it seems to me that main needs a kernel that doesn't include these drivers that belong in contrib. It seems that even those who stand by the removal of the non-Free firmware from Debian would be happy with a kernel in main containing drivers that depend on the non-Free firmware to function, even though, per my (admittedly superficial) understanding of Debian procedures and regulations, such a kernel should be in contrib. I don't see that anyone has brought up this point yet. Is that because nodoby had noticed it, or because I'm missing something and that led me to an incorrect conclusion? Thanks in advance for any enlightenment you may be able to offer, -- Alexandre Oliva http://www.lsd.ic.unicamp.br/~oliva/ Free Software Evangelist [EMAIL PROTECTED], gnu.org} FSFLA Board Member ¡Sé Libre! => http://www.fsfla.org/ Red Hat Compiler Engineer [EMAIL PROTECTED], gcc.gnu.org} -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]