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    DateFri, 26 Mar 2004 00:33:39 +0000
    FromMatthew Wilcox <>
    SubjectRe: Binary-only firmware covered by the GPL?
    On Thu, Mar 25, 2004 at 05:31:53PM -0500, Jeff Garzik wrote:
    > 
    > Well IANAL, but it seems not so cut-n-dried, at least.
    > 
    > Firmware is a program that executes on another processor, so no linking 
    > is taking place at all.  It is analagous to shipping a binary-only 
    > program in your initrd, IMO.
    
    Linking isn't the issue.  I went and read the original bug on this a
    while back.  The issue is that it's a program that's distributed in
    binary form without source code.  That's forbidden from being in main
    by the terms of the Debian Social Contract.
    
    I realise there's a grey area between "magic data you write to a device"
    and "a program that is executed on a different processor".  For example,
    palette data for a frame buffer.  But nobody's arguing for that grey
    area here -- it's clearly a program without source code that Debian
    can't distribute.
    
    I think this is a terribly unfortunate state of affairs and I'm not happy
    about how it's been handled or communicated.  I'd really appreciate it
    if someone managed to think of a good solution to this.
    
    -- 
    "Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon 
    the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those
    conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse
    to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince 
    himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep 
    he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception." -- Mark Twain
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