Firmware is part of the kernel in a sense because it is loaded by the kernel at boot. It only interacts with the kernel and the kernel modules to provide any missing functionality, like a header file does, except rather than C code, it's prebuilt binary language code.
It is not technically software because it doesn't act through an API, shell interpreter, user interface, or execution medium. Big difference. Sent from my Windows Phone ________________________________ From: Adam Borowski<mailto:kilob...@angband.pl> Sent: 6/3/2015 5:52 PM To: dng@lists.dyne.org<mailto:dng@lists.dyne.org> Subject: Re: [Dng] straw poll, non-free firmware for installers On Wed, Jun 03, 2015 at 06:18:37PM -0500, John Morris wrote: > Non-free software: NO, Firmware: YES. So ixnay on things like the Nvidia > drivers but yes on blobs. The reasoning on where to draw the line is > pretty clear cut. How exactly firmware is not software? Both are strings of bits encoding commands for a processor living in silicon you own. Your reasoning doesn't make a shred of sense to me. Either we disallow all kinds of non-free software, or allow all kinds; letting one in but another out just because their code executes on different processors would be a strange distinction. -- // If you believe in so-called "intellectual property", please immediately // cease using counterfeit alphabets. Instead, contact the nearest temple // of Amon, whose priests will provide you with scribal services for all // your writing needs, for Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory prices. _______________________________________________ Dng mailing list Dng@lists.dyne.org https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng
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