Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:28:53 -0500 (CDT)
From: Ariadne Conill <ariadne@dereferenced.org>
To: alice <alice@ayaya.dev>
cc: Riccardo Mottola <riccardo.mottola@libero.it>, 
    Winston Weinert <winston@ml1.net>, ~alpine/users@lists.alpinelinux.org
Subject: Re: ipw2100 wifi card firmware
In-Reply-To: <CNOFY00I1FSZ.294LCIZHOORKP@sumire>
Message-ID: <eda4842d-5be7-5dfb-c9c6-23f927764d46@dereferenced.org>
References: <bdb05306-0f84-50d6-c71c-ff4b311d7ffb@libero.it> <005dc987-0461-9189-383e-d690b7686e96@ml1.net> <d03805ad-4f6e-ef23-db58-dde2bf32ae45@libero.it> <CNOFY00I1FSZ.294LCIZHOORKP@sumire>
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Hi,

On Mon, 17 Oct 2022, alice wrote:

> On Mon Oct 17, 2022 at 9:07 PM CEST, Riccardo Mottola wrote:
>> Hi Winston,
>>
>> I was unable to download the firmware directly from sourceforge.net, my
>> browser(s) continue to fail the accept test!
>> However, I did as you suggested: got the Debian package, "ar x" and then
>> tar the data file... put the firmware in /lib/firmware... and yes, my
>> ThinkPad connects to the wireless, the WiFi LED lights up.
>>
>> I wonder why Alpine cannot have such a package? I have seen other
>> non-free firmware (how much I hate that... a reason why I skipped all
>> those "libre" distributions: without binary blobs a laptop is almost
>> useless nowadays).
> alpine doesn't ship anything non-free, with really the only exception
> being firmware under the "linux-firmware" project umbrella (and anything
> overlooked, of course). that project (afaik) has the vendors adding
> firmware to it by petitioning it directly, and it's more or less a
> community consensus that it gets a pass since otherwise nothing is
> really usable at all. that part is the distinction from "libre" distros
> that ship nothing and let you use them on like 5 laptops (maybe a bit
> harsh, but you know what i mean).
>
> but as for everything else, it is all free software. no shortcuts there.
>
> as for the ipw2x00 firmware, the licence isn't really much different than a
> lot of things in linux-firmware:
>
> ipw2100 firmware license For OEMs, IHVs, and ISVs:
> =================================================
>
> LICENSE. This Software is licensed for use only in conjunction with
> Intel component products. Use of the Software in conjunction with
> non-Intel component products is not licensed hereunder. Subject to the
> terms of this Agreement, Intel grants to you a nonexclusive,
> nontransferable, worldwide, fully paid-up license under Intel's
> copyrights to: (i) copy the Software internally for your own development
> and maintenance purposes; (ii) copy and distribute the Software to your
> end-users, but only under a license agreement with terms at least as
> restrictive as those contained in Intel's Final, Single User License
> Agreement, attached as Exhibit A; and (iii) modify, copy and distribute
> the end-user documentation which may accompany the Software, but only in
> association with the Software.
>
> but it's still nonfree. i guess adding it to the repositories would
> require the same exemption linux-firmware does.
>
> https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/
> (read the various LICENSE.* files in there)

I think it would be better if Intel just submitted it to linux-firmware 
instead.

Ariadne