Bill Crawford wrote:
2008/6/18 Andrew Haley <aph(a)redhat.com>:
> So, let me summarize: we have a bit of binary-only fimware that does
> goodness knows what in a critical part of our systems. We don't actually
> need this firmware; it may or may not improve performance. Is this right?
This sounds like most computer systems (BIOS, although we can usually
do without it mostly after boot time)
I think we have to boot.
and their components e.g. most
modern network interfaces, SCSI controllers and so on, lots of which
have some sort of firmware embedded in some way on the card or the
main device on it.
Really? We don't need this firmware? Are you sure about that?
The next point you make is a good one, ...
> It sounds to me as though we're better off without it,
regardless of its
> status with regard to the GPL.
Yes. Which is why we should stop supporting these "PCs" which aren't
completely free.
I don't understand what you're saying here. Are you saying that we
should stop supporting any PC that contains any firmware that isn't
free? That seems rather extreme.
Andrew.