Subject: Re: [alpine-devel] Splitting up linux-firmware?
To: alpine-devel@lists.alpinelinux.org
References: <4d19a51c-3eba-9775-0208-4d87da66effc@bitmessage.ch>
 <20180106221813.GA4759@homura>
From: "A. Wilcox" <awilfox@adelielinux.org>
Organization: =?UTF-8?Q?Ad=c3=a9lie_Linux?=
Message-ID: <5fec5490-b745-8c3a-2d21-f59d3a6f8925@adelielinux.org>
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2018 17:16:53 -0600
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:45.0) Gecko/20100101
 Thunderbird/45.2.0
Precedence: list
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <20180106221813.GA4759@homura>
Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha256;
 protocol="application/pgp-signature";
 boundary="SiCSE2B0tWiCVODCNnnakgBsPpqsFkFlS"

This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 4880 and 3156)
--SiCSE2B0tWiCVODCNnnakgBsPpqsFkFlS
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="XSjXvG5Rq6sFIfX9JDSugo47xSnVgkiK9";
 protected-headers="v1"
From: "A. Wilcox" <awilfox@adelielinux.org>
To: alpine-devel@lists.alpinelinux.org
Message-ID: <5fec5490-b745-8c3a-2d21-f59d3a6f8925@adelielinux.org>
Subject: Re: [alpine-devel] Splitting up linux-firmware?
References: <4d19a51c-3eba-9775-0208-4d87da66effc@bitmessage.ch>
 <20180106221813.GA4759@homura>
In-Reply-To: <20180106221813.GA4759@homura>

--XSjXvG5Rq6sFIfX9JDSugo47xSnVgkiK9
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On 01/06/18 16:18, Drew DeVault wrote:
> It should be possible to detect which firmwares the kernel attempts to
> load and automatically download only the ones you need.


There is a userspace firmware loader helper option in the kernel I think
(or maybe that was for modules?), but I don't think it'd be good to hang
up the boot process to download relevant firmware files.  Also, you have
to think about people who do not want firmware.  For example, I have one
system with a Broadcom WLAN chip but no other hardware requiring
firmware, so I just use it wired and run it fully libre.


> IMO this would be a better approach. Couple of issues:
>=20
> - How would this interact with udev, if present
> - Needs to be possible to download some firmware offline


"download" "offline".

I mean, you can have a cache of firmware packages installed, but that's
basically the same as just having the large linux-firmware package
installed.


> - Should include all firmware on the ISO


I don't know the legalities of redistributing linux-firmware (I believe
it is "closed source, but freely distributable").  But beyond that, it
would mean that the Alpine ISO is no longer free/libre software.  I
don't agree that this is a good idea.  Perhaps there could *be* a spin
with firmware on the CD for people who know they need firmware for the
network or whatever, but it shouldn't be the default IMO.


> - Should detect and pre-install relevant firmware during alpine-setup


This is a decent idea for such a 'firmware CD spin'.  I don't know if
there is a 'lsfw' utility or such that can see what firmware is loaded,
but if so, that'd be all that would really be necessary.


Best,
--arw

--=20
A. Wilcox (awilfox)
Project Lead, Ad=E9lie Linux
http://adelielinux.org


--XSjXvG5Rq6sFIfX9JDSugo47xSnVgkiK9--

--SiCSE2B0tWiCVODCNnnakgBsPpqsFkFlS
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc"
Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc"

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
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=s4sc
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--SiCSE2B0tWiCVODCNnnakgBsPpqsFkFlS--


---
Unsubscribe:  alpine-devel+unsubscribe@lists.alpinelinux.org
Help:         alpine-devel+help@lists.alpinelinux.org
---