[Agnula-Developers] Re: [linux-audio-dev] Request to audio related LiveCD packagers

[Eliot Blennerhassett]

On Mon, 10 May 2004 06:44, Fernando Pablo Lopez-Lezcano wrote:
> > so far, alsa-firmware package is released from the understanding of 1
> > as "data".  but if someone insists it as program, yes, it can be a
> > problem.
>
> I tend to look at it (very conveniently, of course) as neither. I view
> it as part of the hardware device we're dealing with. Without it the
> device does not work. It is distributed as a separate file (inside the
> driver disk that actually comes with the device) because it is
> convenient for the manufacturer for updates, avoiding a flash rom in the
> device, and so on and so forth.

Replying as an audiocard manufacturer (www.audioscience.com),  this is exactly 
true for us.

We have one external box (ASI2200) that can theoretically run standalone from 
internal flash, but for convenience of update, the firmware is downloaded by 
the driver every time.

Firmware is supplied as a binary data file.  As our linux driver is open 
source, the means of loading the data is there for all to see.
All the code that runs on the host computer is open under either GPL or BSD 
style licence.

But there is no way the company would release the source code for the 
firmware!
(in fact we are contractually prevented from doing so in some cases).

> Most probably very few people will agree with this viewpoint :-)

Obviously some do...

- ELiot