linux-kernel - Re: [linux-dvb] [PATCH] Userspace tuner

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Message-ID: <20070913124034.GA26972@linuxtv.org>
Date:	Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:40:34 +0200
From:	Johannes Stezenbach <js@...uxtv.org>
To:	Markus Rechberger <mrechberger@...il.com>
Cc:	Dâniel Fraga <fragabr@...il.com>,
	video4linux-list@...hat.com, linux-dvb@...uxtv.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [linux-dvb] [PATCH] Userspace tuner

On Thu, Sep 13, 2007, Markus Rechberger wrote:
> 
> We currently have an implementation that works, although
> it works by downloading several firmwares for several devices 
> or even several countries. This is not what I want to have in 
> future since it's not needed and it's also hard to manage for
> distributors. All those differences could be adjusted by 
> software even without module parameter hacks.

This argument doesn't hold water. The unpleasant point
for users and distributors isn't the "binary-only"
thing, it's the "no right to distribute" problem.
And that's the same for firmware blobs or binary-only
userspace blobs.

IOW, if you can get the right to redistribute a binary-only
userspace blob which incudes the firmware inside, why
shouldn't you be able to get the right to redistribute
just the firmware?

Or the other way round: Do you think your binary-only software
will be important enough so distributors will go through
all the trouble of trying to get a license to include it in
their distribution? If so, why wouldn't they do the same
for the plain firmware blobs for in-kernel drivers?

Johannes
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