[Mageia-dev] Non-free firmwares in installer

Thu Mar 24 12:03:08 CET 2011

2011/3/24 Romain d'Alverny <rdalverny at gmail.com>:
+>
+> Well, that's precisely debatable (and why I'll try to setup a relevant
+> survey through marcom). The ISO can be seen as a static commodity
+> storage; that it holds core and nonfree makes no such difference as
+> that those two media are available from the network without
+> discrimination.
+>
+> So yes, the ISO in itself would not be free anymore; but as long as
+> the install process does not pick into the nonfree media unless the
+> user asks to, what does it make an issue (not that I have no idea
+> about that, just that I'd like to see it expressed again from a
+> different POV of mine - and that will help for the survey definition
+> too).
+
+In the public appearance this would make a difference. As soon as
+there is non-free contents on the ISO it is a non-free ISO. That we
+provide non-free on the mirrors doesn't make Mageia a non-free distro,
+only what we offer as "products".
+That's why I also don't like the idea to have a free ISO and an ISO
+including core & non-free.
+
+> The alternative, if we're not to mix things on the static media, is to
+> have distinct ISOs: free and nonfree/tainted ones. Times the format:
+> DVD/CD/arch/USB through which we would have to decide to ease:
+> building, qa and distribution (we will have to choose a default one to
+> provide to visitors on the download page for instance).
+
+No. As I already wrote: a small dualarch "driver ISO" is all that's needed.
+No issue about what kind of distro Mageia supplies, no issue about
+build efforts.
+
+Plus the benefit of making the user aware of the difference.
+
+-- 
+wobo
+