Alexandre Oliva wrote:
Alexandre Oliva wrote:
It's a matter of not supporting the
distribution of non-Free Software, no matter how hidden it is, or how
important it is for some.
What is the issue with firmware? Isn't it typically an update or
variation of what is already embedded in the corresponding hardware
anyway?
No, as of lately, quite often there isn't anything embedded in the
corresponding hardware.
The difference is that, when the firmware is embedded in the
controller, you can pretty much ignore it, and you got it from the
vendor anyway.
And if it's broken as shipped you'd like it to stay that way?
But as firmware moves out of devices, because their vendors are too
cheap to add non-volatile memory, and prefer to provide them
separately and count on operating system distributors to help them
keep users helpless, why should we help them do it, and increase their
profit margins while at that?
Because it gives us a better working product and the ability to keep it
current.
That is, you don't have a choice of free vs. non-free, just working
or not working.
The first choice is purchase and feed the monster, or purchase
something else.
Do you have some examples of devices that work better with old firmware
in rom?
Once you got it and you can't return it, you're stuck with it. At
that point, it is indeed a matter of choice between keeping your
freedom or sacrificing it for convenience.
I still don't see the difference in freeness whether the code is
embedded or loaded. Vendor-engineered code is the same either way and
probably the best you'll get. What sacrifice do you see?
ATM, Fedora doesn't give users this choice. Fedora forces people to
choose between Fedora and freedom.
"People" don't get freedom with GPL-restricted code, they get
GPL-restricted code.
--
Les Mikesell
lesmikesell@xxxxxxxxx
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