Re: why NetBSD include binary/blob driver or firmware by default?

[Cem Kayali <cemkayali%eticaret.com.tr@localhost>]

Manuel Bouyer, 01/25/09 16:27:
> On Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 11:26:31PM +0200, Cem Kayali wrote:
>   
> > Hello!
> >
> > I have recently encountered with a broadcom ethernet card that NetBSD 
> > 4.0/4.1 supports and it works perfectly - while 'gnu/linux' gnewsense 
> > and trisquel does not support. These linux distributions are supported 
> > by Free Software Foundation and they have blob-free kernel and softwares 
> > - which means 100% free distributions: 
> > http://www.gnu.org/links/links.html#FreeGNULinuxDistributions
> >     
>
> While I agree that binary-only drivers are generally annoying, I consider
> that firmware is part of the hardware itself a binary-only firmware
> is perfectly fine. I'm sure the above linux distributions support
> hardware for which they don't have firmware source. The first piece of
> hardware which comes to mind is disk drives.
>
>   

Thanks for explanations.

Most of replies mentions about firmwares already existing  because they 
are part of  hardware cpu. I do know and I really understand that! There 
is nothing to do about that even if i run dd=/dev/zero of=/wholedrive.

I just wanted to KINDLY ask developers that how could someone exclude 
binary/blob only drivers while compiling the current. A brief 
documentation would be really good.


Thanks for you reply.
Regards,