• @Echedenyan@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    Including some optional firmwares in the install boot-medium infringes zero rights of yours and none of the 4 software freedoms are impacted by this.

    Loading at boot time the firmware involves execution in applied hardware of software I have no power in.

    Complain with the hardware vendors for making these firmwares a requirement if you will, but better not buy such hardware in the first place.

    Doesn’t exclude that Debian did the worse thing. Options existed as I introduced before, and very obvious ones. If they needed help, I have no issues to provide it.

    • poVoq
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      12 years ago

      Only if you run hardware that requires it. That is not the fault of Debian and making this hardware available for use is better than not doing it.

      • @Echedenyan@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        poVoq, I already explained how that works. Almost all the hardware can load it and it is done automatically, not based on an H-Node list to know if it works without it or not, which could be an option. If it is available, will be loaded and executed with compatible hardware.

        Debian doesn’t have the fault for what the hardware vendors do, but has the fault for enforcing the situation when other options existed.

        • @Echedenyan@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          Rewording this:

          A proposal I would accept is loading based in H-Node list to know if it works with it or not (a similar thing has been done with Linux-Libre but for enforcing not loading it). I would accept that, and I would give the option at boot time itself.

        • poVoq
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          12 years ago

          The majority of the hardware either requires it, or it doesn’t. It is the rare edge case that it can also work in a degraded mode using only Free software, and you are free to not use such firmwares on your system after installing Debian on it. But yes in the 30 minutes or so that you use the installer it will be auto-loaded helping a lot of users actually install an running system and inflicting no damage to you at all.

          • @Echedenyan@lemmy.ml
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            2 years ago

            I think you don’t understand what is even an inalienable interest, a right and which are the rights violated here. Yes, there is damage, in freedom.

            There is no rare thing for hardware in H-Node working. I would like you to check it and availability. It is less, but it is not a rare case.

            The option may exists based on such a list and any of the both sides would be affected negatively. In the same way it saves you time or impossibility in some cases, it would prevent my rights being harmed and save my time yet.

            It would involve an initial effort in development, that is right. This would also help more for these rights that failing in the way is doing right now.

            • poVoq
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              2 years ago

              I disagree that it removes any Freedom from you, but even if that were the case the damage would be so minuscule compared to the massive improvement for others that literally could not even install Debian on their system before.

              And sure, there might be possible complicated work-arounds, but this issue has existed for years and no one bothered to implement them. So finally the silent majority took the right step to make this minimal impact change, and now the ball is really back with those complaining about this change. I am sure Debian will not be opposed to include some sort of selection in the boot process if someone would actually implement it, but that is far from trivial to do.