Re: Softing Firmware on gitorious

[Marc Kleine-Budde <mkl@pengutronix.de>]

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On 01/12/2012 11:01 AM, Kurt Van Dijck wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 10:34:04AM +0100, Marc Kleine-Budde wrote:
>> On 01/12/2012 10:30 AM, Kurt Van Dijck wrote:
>>>>> The 5.01 package states the binary blob (and their code) is GPLv2.
>>>>> The remainders of the 4.6 package I still have (only the firmware part) also
>>>>> state it's all released under GPLv2.
>>>>
>>>> Do you mean the binary blob's source code is available as GPLv2? Do we
>>>> have access to the source code? Would be interesting for the Debian Kernel.
>>> Softing releases a linux driver package, with linux driver code and firmware
>>> under GPLv2. The firmware is packaged as array's in c files.
>>> The sources of the firmware itself are not available.
>>
>> IANAL, some people think that a binary firmwarer w/o source code
>> available under GPLv2 isn't GPv2.
> I _think_ the Debian goal is to have a Free system. 
> Firmware under GPLv2 without source, IMHO, _is_ GPLv2, but not Free.

My opinion is: There is no GPLv2 without source :)
The driver is GPLv2, but the firmware isn't. But I don't mind using the
driver. I just wanted to point out that it's probably not included in
debian's standard kernel.

>> However, we can document that in the WHENCE file of the linux firmware
>> reporitory.
> I think we can distribute the files, as long as we mention the source
> (=Softing) to comply with the GPLv2.

I think we should add the firmware to the linux firmware archive and
document its origin.

Marc

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