RFC: Firmware removal
Now that lenny is out, it's time for an update on this. I wrote: > No word from Sun re Cassini. Still no word, I've tried contacting Simon Phipps now. > There is a FreeBSD driver for the Kawasaki USB network chips (kaweth > driver) under 4-clause BSD but the stated copyright holder for the > firmware is the driver author, which is not correct. I will try > contacting him. Bill Paul wrote: > First, look here: > > http://www.freebsd.org/~wpaul/KLSI > > These are all of the files that I originally received from Kawasaki LSI > when I first contacted them about writing a driver, as I originally > received them. This includes the file containing the firmwre image. I > was never given any firmware source. You will note that there are no > copyright headers at all, and when I spoke to the Kawasaki representative > on the phone the subject of copyright on the firmware image never came up. I wrote: > No news from Tehuti, but I found firmware in OpenBSD under 4-clause BSD. Pinchas Ziv (CEO of Tehuti) wrote: > We are satisfied with the last statement: > >" Permission is hereby granted for the distribution of this firmware data > in hexadecimal or equivalent format, provided this copyright notice is > accompanying it." I wrote: > WhiteHEAT hardware is still avalable so there may be some mileage in > contacting the manufacturer. I talked back and forth with them and they seemed to be happy to fix the license text but I never got a final statement of what exactly it would be. I think we should move ahead with removal of sourceless firmware, but include everything we have clear permission to distribute in the non-free section. This would exclude the 3 blobs mentioned above and several others that are already stripped from Debian kernels. I propose that future versions of firmware-nonfree, or a second firmware "source" package, should be based on the firmware directory of Linux releases, using a script to exclude the files with unclear license status. The contents of the firmware directory should be excluded from the linux-2.6 package except where source is available. Of the 13 sourceless firmware blobs I was aware of in the lenny kernel, several have subsequently been moved to the firmware directory: - 2.6.27: dabusb, dsp56k (with source), kaweth, whiteheat - 2.6.28: cassini - 2.6.29: e100, starfire - linux-next: qla1280 The remaining firmware - found in mga, r128, radeon, tehuti, typhoon - is at least clearly redistributable. Before I spend (and possibly waste) time in preparing packages, I'd like to get people's opinions on this proposal. Ben. signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part
Re: RFC: Firmware removal
first of all thanks for your work on the relicensing front, know that it is no fun.. On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 02:19:36AM +, Ben Hutchings wrote: > I wrote: > > No word from Sun re Cassini. > > Still no word, I've tried contacting Simon Phipps now. > > > There is a FreeBSD driver for the Kawasaki USB network chips (kaweth > > driver) under 4-clause BSD but the stated copyright holder for the > > firmware is the driver author, which is not correct. I will try > > contacting him. > > Bill Paul wrote: > > First, look here: > > > > http://www.freebsd.org/~wpaul/KLSI > > > > These are all of the files that I originally received from Kawasaki LSI > > when I first contacted them about writing a driver, as I originally > > received them. This includes the file containing the firmwre image. I > > was never given any firmware source. You will note that there are no > > copyright headers at all, and when I spoke to the Kawasaki representative > > on the phone the subject of copyright on the firmware image never came up. > > I wrote: > > No news from Tehuti, but I found firmware in OpenBSD under 4-clause BSD. > > Pinchas Ziv (CEO of Tehuti) wrote: > > We are satisfied with the last statement: > > > >" Permission is hereby granted for the distribution of this firmware data > > in hexadecimal or equivalent format, provided this copyright notice is > > accompanying it." > > I wrote: > > WhiteHEAT hardware is still avalable so there may be some mileage in > > contacting the manufacturer. > > I talked back and forth with them and they seemed to be happy to fix the > license text but I never got a final statement of what exactly it would > be. > > I think we should move ahead with removal of sourceless firmware, but > include everything we have clear permission to distribute in the > non-free section. This would exclude the 3 blobs mentioned above and > several others that are already stripped from Debian kernels. ack. > I propose that future versions of firmware-nonfree, or a second firmware > "source" package, should be based on the firmware directory of Linux > releases, using a script to exclude the files with unclear license > status. The contents of the firmware directory should be excluded from > the linux-2.6 package except where source is available. wouldn't vote for yet another package, can we integrate them in firmware-nonfree? > Of the 13 sourceless firmware blobs I was aware of in the lenny kernel, > several have subsequently been moved to the firmware directory: > > - 2.6.27: dabusb, dsp56k (with source), kaweth, whiteheat > - 2.6.28: cassini > - 2.6.29: e100, starfire > - linux-next: qla1280 right. > The remaining firmware - found in mga, r128, radeon, tehuti, typhoon - > is at least clearly redistributable. hmm bnx2 and bnx2x seem still not yet using request_firmware(), waldi should fire off that patch upstream. -- maks -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-kernel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
Re: RFC: Firmware removal
On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 01:57:24PM +0100, maximilian attems wrote: > first of all thanks for your work on the relicensing front, > know that it is no fun.. > > On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 02:19:36AM +, Ben Hutchings wrote: > > I wrote: > > > No word from Sun re Cassini. > > > > Still no word, I've tried contacting Simon Phipps now. > > > > > There is a FreeBSD driver for the Kawasaki USB network chips (kaweth > > > driver) under 4-clause BSD but the stated copyright holder for the > > > firmware is the driver author, which is not correct. I will try > > > contacting him. > > > > Bill Paul wrote: > > > First, look here: > > > > > > http://www.freebsd.org/~wpaul/KLSI > > > > > > These are all of the files that I originally received from Kawasaki LSI > > > when I first contacted them about writing a driver, as I originally > > > received them. This includes the file containing the firmwre image. I > > > was never given any firmware source. You will note that there are no > > > copyright headers at all, and when I spoke to the Kawasaki representative > > > on the phone the subject of copyright on the firmware image never came up. > > > > I wrote: > > > No news from Tehuti, but I found firmware in OpenBSD under 4-clause BSD. > > > > Pinchas Ziv (CEO of Tehuti) wrote: > > > We are satisfied with the last statement: > > > > > >" Permission is hereby granted for the distribution of this firmware > > > data > > > in hexadecimal or equivalent format, provided this copyright notice is > > > accompanying it." > > > > I wrote: > > > WhiteHEAT hardware is still avalable so there may be some mileage in > > > contacting the manufacturer. > > > > I talked back and forth with them and they seemed to be happy to fix the > > license text but I never got a final statement of what exactly it would > > be. > > > > I think we should move ahead with removal of sourceless firmware, but > > include everything we have clear permission to distribute in the > > non-free section. This would exclude the 3 blobs mentioned above and > > several others that are already stripped from Debian kernels. > > ack. > > > I propose that future versions of firmware-nonfree, or a second firmware > > "source" package, should be based on the firmware directory of Linux > > releases, using a script to exclude the files with unclear license > > status. The contents of the firmware directory should be excluded from > > the linux-2.6 package except where source is available. > > wouldn't vote for yet another package, > can we integrate them in firmware-nonfree? > > > Of the 13 sourceless firmware blobs I was aware of in the lenny kernel, > > several have subsequently been moved to the firmware directory: > > > > - 2.6.27: dabusb, dsp56k (with source), kaweth, whiteheat > > - 2.6.28: cassini > > - 2.6.29: e100, starfire > > - linux-next: qla1280 > > right. > > > The remaining firmware - found in mga, r128, radeon, tehuti, typhoon - > > is at least clearly redistributable. > > hmm bnx2 and bnx2x seem still not yet using request_firmware(), > waldi should fire off that patch upstream. John Wright has a bnx2x patch in #509646 & #509647. -- dann frazier -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-kernel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
