Karmic linux-restricted-modules (may it rest in peace)

[Tim Gardner]

Tim Gardner wrote:
> The linux-restricted-modules package has been used historically as a way
> to deliver drivers that contain binary components, hence their
> restricted nature. Some of these drivers may not be strictly legal in
> their fully linked form in all of the countries in which they are used.
> 
> Regardless of the legality of these drivers, I have 3 general issues
> with the package:
> 
> 1) All drivers in LRM have a binary component which taint your kernel.
> You'll get zero love from upstream if you report a bug with a tainted
> kernel.
> 
> 2) Binary components are so difficult to debug that few will bother,
> including myself.
> 
> 3) The components comprising these drivers are not fully linked until
> boot time, which extends your boot time by a fixed amount (and also
> depends on binutils-static). Note that LRM is installed on every
> machine, regardless of whether or not the drivers contained therein are
> required.
> 
> I've been whittling the list of LRM drivers with each release. For
> Karmic, that list is down to 2 drivers; ltmodem and Broadcom (madwifi is
> _finally_ effectively superseded by ath5k/ath9k and will no longer be
> carried for Karmic

> Broadcom has some serious architectural issues, not the least which is
> an enormous binary blob which contains _all_ of the 802.11 protocol
> stack presented as a monolithic ethernet driver using WEXT, _plus_
> irreconcilable runtime conflicts with SSB (upon which b44 ethernet depends).
> 
> My goal for Karmic is to drop LRM altogether. However, before I step off
> that precipice, I need to find out what folks think about the
> alternatives. I'm quite happy to develop DKMS packages for these
> remaining drivers, but not everyone thinks it an appropriate solution.
> See http://linux.dell.com/projects.shtml#dkms for a quick primer.
> 
> Are there other alternatives? Preferably solutions that don't involve
> shipping binary blobs on the Karmic CDs.
> 
> rtg

You can find the first Broadcom wl DKMS package in my PPA at:

https://edge.launchpad.net/~timg-tpi/+archive/ppa/+files/bcmwl-kernel-source_5.10.91.9-1_all.deb

I'm currently managing it in a git repository at:

git://kernel.ubuntu.com/rtg/bcm-wl-dkms

It should also soon appear in Karmic universe.

rtg
-- 
Tim Gardner tim.gardner at canonical.com