diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'zarb-ml/mageia-dev/20110325/003682.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | zarb-ml/mageia-dev/20110325/003682.html | 142 |
1 files changed, 142 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/zarb-ml/mageia-dev/20110325/003682.html b/zarb-ml/mageia-dev/20110325/003682.html new file mode 100644 index 000000000..895414c87 --- /dev/null +++ b/zarb-ml/mageia-dev/20110325/003682.html @@ -0,0 +1,142 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> +<HTML> + <HEAD> + <TITLE> [Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer + </TITLE> + <LINK REL="Index" HREF="index.html" > + <LINK REL="made" HREF="mailto:mageia-dev%40mageia.org?Subject=Re%3A%20%5BMageia-dev%5D%20Non-free%20firmwares%20in%20installer&In-Reply-To=%3C20110325121427.1841ada4%40otfordduckscomputers.co.uk%3E"> + <META NAME="robots" CONTENT="index,nofollow"> + <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> + <LINK REL="Previous" HREF="003642.html"> + <LINK REL="Next" HREF="003648.html"> + </HEAD> + <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> + <H1>[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer</H1> + <B>Margot</B> + <A HREF="mailto:mageia-dev%40mageia.org?Subject=Re%3A%20%5BMageia-dev%5D%20Non-free%20firmwares%20in%20installer&In-Reply-To=%3C20110325121427.1841ada4%40otfordduckscomputers.co.uk%3E" + TITLE="[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer">margot at otfordduckscomputers.co.uk + </A><BR> + <I>Fri Mar 25 13:14:27 CET 2011</I> + <P><UL> + <LI>Previous message: <A HREF="003642.html">[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer +</A></li> + <LI>Next message: <A HREF="003648.html">[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer +</A></li> + <LI> <B>Messages sorted by:</B> + <a href="date.html#3682">[ date ]</a> + <a href="thread.html#3682">[ thread ]</a> + <a href="subject.html#3682">[ subject ]</a> + <a href="author.html#3682">[ author ]</a> + </LI> + </UL> + <HR> +<!--beginarticle--> +<PRE>On Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:17:27 +0200 (SAST) +Buchan Milne <<A HREF="https://www.mageia.org/mailman/listinfo/mageia-dev">bgmilne at staff.telkomsa.net</A>> wrote: + +><i> +</I>><i> ----- "andre999" <<A HREF="https://www.mageia.org/mailman/listinfo/mageia-dev">andr55 at laposte.net</A>> wrote: +</I>><i> +</I>><i> +</I>><i> > ok. +</I>><i> > My though was essentially that firmware is so close to hardware +</I>><i> > that its +</I>><i> > actual free/non-free status shouldn't apply - we should treat +</I>><i> > it like +</I>><i> > +</I>><i> > (almost) part of the hardware. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> I would agree, but some people wouldn't. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> > As for the drivers, a little more distant from the hardware, +</I>><i> > they could +</I>><i> > be in non-free, but I sincerely think that they should be on +</I>><i> > all installation isos. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> I wouldn't say "all". +</I>><i> +</I>><i> > That is, on installing from an iso, all hardware-related +</I>><i> > functions should (ideally) be fully functional, even if it +</I>><i> > requires using non-free +</I>><i> > drivers. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> IMHO, not without informing the user, so that they have the +</I>><i> choice (e.g. to consider replacing the hardware by something +</I>><i> supported by free software => supporting vendors who support free +</I>><i> software). +</I>><i> +</I>><i> > The lack of some drivers (or components of drivers) can render a +</I>><i> > system +</I>><i> > technically functional, but with important dysfunctions, simply +</I>><i> > because +</I>><i> > the required drivers were not available on installation. +</I>><i> > That should not happen. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> IMHO, that is not *our* choice to make for the user. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> > The kernel, firmware and drivers, built on the hardware, +</I>><i> > provide a platform on which the application software runs. +</I>><i> > True, it is better if drivers are open source, but in my view, +</I>><i> > it is application software where open source is the most +</I>><i> > important. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> But, that is *your* view. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> IMHO, some of these questions should be posed to the community. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> For example, maybe we should brand ISO releases as something like +</I>><i> "Mageia Libre" and "Mageia Gratis" (note, not a "Mageia" and +</I>><i> "Mageia limited" or similar, give equal standing to both +</I>><i> releases), where Libre would include no non-free software of any +</I>><i> kind on the media, users using Libre would never be prompted +</I>><i> about non-free software (without opting in, by e.g. installing a +</I>><i> different release package). Gratis would include non-free +</I>><i> software/firmware required to enable hardware or specific +</I>><i> hardware features. +</I>><i> +</I>><i> I think it may be worthwhile catering to users who would like to +</I>><i> follow FSF Free distribution guidelines as closely as possible, +</I>><i> by providing a release that is as close as practically possible +</I>><i> to these guidelines (but still making it possible for pragmatic +</I>><i> users to have a good experience). +</I>><i> +</I>><i> Regards, +</I>><i> Buchan +</I> +I particularly like the proposed use of the terms Libre and Gratis. + +My main concern is that newbie Mageia users - those who come direct +from Windows, rather than from another variety of Linux - might +abandon the installation when asked to opt in (or out) of anything +marked 'non-free', mistakenly thinking that they will have to pay +for it. + +-- +Margot +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +**Otford Ducks Computers** +We teach, you learn... +...and, if you don't do your homework, we set the cat on you! +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +</PRE> + +<!--endarticle--> + <HR> + <P><UL> + <!--threads--> + <LI>Previous message: <A HREF="003642.html">[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer +</A></li> + <LI>Next message: <A HREF="003648.html">[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer +</A></li> + <LI> <B>Messages sorted by:</B> + <a href="date.html#3682">[ date ]</a> + <a href="thread.html#3682">[ thread ]</a> + <a href="subject.html#3682">[ subject ]</a> + <a href="author.html#3682">[ author ]</a> + </LI> + </UL> + +<hr> +<a href="https://www.mageia.org/mailman/listinfo/mageia-dev">More information about the Mageia-dev +mailing list</a><br> +</body></html> |