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SubjectRe: [PATCH] linux-firmware: add MISSING file
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On Mon, 2013-01-14 at 17:55 -0500, Pavel Roskin wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:09:46 +0100
> richard -rw- weinberger <richard.weinberger@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > +This file attempts to document the reason why a firmware is not
> > > present +in this bundle.
> >
> > From the user's point of view this not really helpful.
> > Wouldn't a in-kernel table of known but missing firmware files make
> > more sense? The kernel could write a log like "Yeah, I know this
> > firmware but sadly I don't have it because of ..."
>
> The firmware file may be absent on the system even if it's in the
> linux-firmware tree. Conversely, the firmware may be present on the
> system but not in the linux-firmware tree.
>
> The kernel doesn't know whether the firmware is missing due to
> licensing issues or due to misconfiguration. The kernel cannot know
> that. And I don't think the kernel should include as much information
> as the MISSING file would include.

I can see some value in an index explaining where to get firmware,
whether it's available from the copyright holder or some licensee or
must be extracted from Windows drivers with a particular tool.

I'm not sure whether linux-firmware.git is the right place for that,
though. Would distributions include this in their packages and would
users be able to find it there? Would a wiki page be more useful?

Putting my Debian hat, I can say that we don't distribute any of the
older files that are 'GPL but no source visible', while we do distribute
some files not included in linux-firmware.git that require click-wrap
licences. I also prune files that aren't referenced by the kernel
version in any current release. So a file that says what's missing from
linux-firmware.git would not be that useful to Debian users, for
example.

Ben.

--
Ben Hutchings
Q. Which is the greater problem in the world today, ignorance or apathy?
A. I don't know and I couldn't care less.
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