Thomas Bushnell BSG writes: > Matthew Garrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > Think of it this way. For the card with the built-in firmware, the > > > driver does not depend on any additional packages or software > > > distribution to work. By contrast, for the card with the separate > > > firmware, the driver *does* depend on that additional package to work. > > > > The dependency still exists - it just isn't expressed within the terms > > of our package management system. I am entirely happy to describe this > > distinction as arbitrary. > > And yet, in this case the non-freeness of the software isn't hurting > the user. The point isn't whether the firmware "exists", the point is > whether the user is being prevented from modifying it by licensing or > non-source-distribution restrictions.
When the firmware is burned into the device, the user is prevented from modifying it in a rather more drastic and permanent fashion than when the restrictions are a matter of missing code or permissions. Michael Poole
