On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 08:21:14PM +0000, brian m. carlson wrote: > On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 09:53:24PM +0200, richs wrote: >> I think that including headers, m-a and build essential would be a good >> move for the developers. Other distros have out-of-the-box non-free >> and proprietary apps/drivers/codecs, I would just like to see Debian >> offer a complete base on that first iso. At least offering the means >> to completely setup Debian form the get-go. > > Non-free (and contrib) packages are not part of Debian and are therefore > not shipped on Debian CDs or DVDs. I understand your frustration with > not being able to use your wireless card out of the box; I have the same > problem, since my card (iwl3945) requires non-free firmware. However, > the Social Contract states very clearly that only Free Software can be > part of Debian. > > Even if the packages you request were available on the first CD, you > still don't have the drivers that you would need to compile, since those > are in non-free or contrib and thus aren't on the CDs. Your best > chances of getting a working system out of the box are if Free drivers > without firmware are included into the kernel. If this is a serious > concern, I would recommend carefully selecting the hardware you buy for > optimal compatibility.
I'm wondering... do we have binary packages for all kernel modules we have (free) -source packages for so that such kernel modules don't need to be built by users ? If no, then maybe either they should exist or m-a and other necessary stuff should be on the first CD, as well as the -source packages. If yes, maybe they should be on the first CD if they are not already. Mike -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
