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Debian already provides images with non-free firmware: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/cd-including-firmware/ https://cdimage.debian.org/

by rahiel 9y ago

Debian already provides images with non-free firmware: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/cd-including-firmware/ https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/cd-in... I use these when installing on laptops.

avar 9y ago
These don't work for WiFi drivers as I pointed out because they're not actually the firmware, they're packages to download the firmware. That obviously doesn't work if you don't have a network connection.
- joeyh 9y ago
  No, those do contain the firmware. https://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/kernel/firmware-nonfree.git https://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/kernel/firmware-nonfree.git
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - avar 9y ago
    I see that I mixed up two of my laptops in my example. You're right, but my general feature request still stands. Yes the iwlwifi firmware in particular is shipped on the nonfree firmware CD image. But the firmware my other laptop isn't. With the stretch rc5 non-free image mounted: $ dpkg -c firmware/firmware-iwlwifi_20161130-3_all.deb|grep -c ucode 46 But instead of providing the b43 firmware there's only a network installer to fetch it: $ ls firmware/*b43* firmware/firmware-b43-installer_019-3_all.deb firmware/firmware-b43legacy-installer_019-3_all.deb Looking over the packages more closely now it seems only the b43 package[1] uses this approach (although there might be more firmware that's not included at all). 1. https://wiki.debian.org/bcm43xx#b43_and_b43legacy https://wiki.debian.org/bcm43xx#b43_and_b43legacy
    - whbboyd 9y ago
      Blame Broadcom for that; the b43 firmware may not legally be redistributed, so the only legal option is the fwcutter.
      - avar 9y ago
        Hence my suggestion that the Debian project distribute a script that I can run to get the firmware myself & trivially build my own install CD, and that this be prominently advertised on debian.org. The Debian project already ships that sort of script in the current non-free firmware CD, so clearly it's not a legal issue. What it doesn't ship is the ability to run that on another machine as part of preparing an ISO to install on a fresh machine that needs the proprietary firmware.

by rahiel 9y ago

avar 9y ago

These don't work for WiFi drivers as I pointed out because they're not actually the firmware, they're packages to download the firmware. That obviously doesn't work if you don't have a network connection.

joeyh 9y ago
No, those do contain the firmware. https://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/kernel/firmware-nonfree.git https://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/kernel/firmware-nonfree.git
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- avar 9y ago
  I see that I mixed up two of my laptops in my example. You're right, but my general feature request still stands. Yes the iwlwifi firmware in particular is shipped on the nonfree firmware CD image. But the firmware my other laptop isn't. With the stretch rc5 non-free image mounted: $ dpkg -c firmware/firmware-iwlwifi_20161130-3_all.deb|grep -c ucode 46 But instead of providing the b43 firmware there's only a network installer to fetch it: $ ls firmware/*b43* firmware/firmware-b43-installer_019-3_all.deb firmware/firmware-b43legacy-installer_019-3_all.deb Looking over the packages more closely now it seems only the b43 package[1] uses this approach (although there might be more firmware that's not included at all). 1. https://wiki.debian.org/bcm43xx#b43_and_b43legacy https://wiki.debian.org/bcm43xx#b43_and_b43legacy
  - whbboyd 9y ago
    Blame Broadcom for that; the b43 firmware may not legally be redistributed, so the only legal option is the fwcutter.
    - avar 9y ago
      Hence my suggestion that the Debian project distribute a script that I can run to get the firmware myself & trivially build my own install CD, and that this be prominently advertised on debian.org. The Debian project already ships that sort of script in the current non-free firmware CD, so clearly it's not a legal issue. What it doesn't ship is the ability to run that on another machine as part of preparing an ISO to install on a fresh machine that needs the proprietary firmware.