On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 9:07 AM, Bill Nottingham <notting(a)redhat.com> wrote:
Peter Robinson (pbrobinson(a)gmail.com) said:
> > I wonder... could we make linux-firmware optional?
> >
> > I would expect many virt env's don't need any firmware to work...
> > (but of course I could be wrong).
>
> It use to be optional, I know on the olpc xo-1 it use to be optional
> and there should be no firmware needed for an average VM. I'd also
> love to see it broken down for various profiles because most desktops
> don't need enterprise storage controllers, most servers don't need
> wifi and most ARM platforms don't need most of the stuff in there but
> do need a few ARM only firmware packages.
However, if you go down that route, the kernel should be the same way,
the firmware should be separate subpackages, and requires should be done at
the module -> firmware level by generating it from the MODULE_FIRMWARE tags.
(Unless you're relying on packagekit to install your firmware, which if
you're going that minimal seems to have missed the forest for the trees
somewhere.)
I'm not understanding what you're proposing. Are you suggesting:
1) We have further split up module sub-packages that carry their own
firmware requires (e.g. kernel-module-iwlwifi requires iwlwifi-firmware)
or
2) Even more firmware subpackages split out of linux-firmware.
If you're suggesting 1, I'd be really really opposed to that. It would
make packaging in kernel.spec even more of a nightmare than it already
is.
If you're suggesting 2, I don't see the point. The kernel will install
and even with per-module dependencies generated (somehow), it'll still
install all of the various -firmware packages because the modules will
be getting installed.
Or maybe you mean something else, and my jet-lagged and coffee deprived
brain just isn't following. I actually hope this is the case, because
neither of the above 2 options sound that great to me...
josh