Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from in-kernel, use it in more drivers.

Jeff Garzik
2008-07-15T01:55:04Z

Arjan van de Ven wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:41:19 -0700
> Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:23:26 -0700
>> David Woodhouse <dwmw2@infradead.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Linus, please pull from the for-2.6.27 branch of:
>>> git://git.infradead.org/users/dwmw2/firmware-2.6.git
>>> for-2.6.27
>> The firmware flamewars seem to have subsided lately. Is everyone
>> happy with this now?
>>
>
> this seems to have left the contentious pieces out....

Correction: It seems to have completely ignored contentious issues,
which is not the same thing.

It -removes- the ability to build firmware into the kernel module -- a
currently deployed, highly reliable configuration.

I'm not surprised that fact was snipped in David's submission --
wouldn't want to mention that you are unconditionally replacing a
reliable method of firmware loading with a less reliable one.

Building the firmware into the kernel is far less useful than it
appears: often users lack the ability to maintain their own vmlinuz
kernel image build, but do build updated drivers. e.g. driver disks for
Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

IMO the newly added /inability/ to build firmware into kernel modules is
a clear regression.

Jeff